Colorado state Rep. Steve Lebsock should resign amid allegations of sexual harassment.
As first reported by KUNC reporter Bente Birkland on Friday, women who work with Lebsock at the Capitol say he has acted inappropriately toward them in what should be a professional setting. We are disturbed by the reports of Lebsock’s lewd behavior. There is no place for such behavior among public officials trying to serve the state.
One lobbyist, who wished to remain anonymous, said Lebsock asked, while she was in his office discussing policy, if she would sleep with him using a vulgar term.
Lebsock, a Democrat from Thornton, is also a candidate for state treasurer. On Friday, Speaker of the House Crisanta Duran called on Lebsock to “do the right thing and resign.”
“While my formal role in investigating complaints established under Joint Rule 38 probhibits me from making initial judgements about the facts, these numerous allegations would represent a major breach of decorum,” Duran said, adding there is no room for those type of actions in the legislature.
Rep. Faith Winter, a fellow Democrat, was the first to share her story, saying Lebsock approached her at a bar in 2016 when lawmakers were celebrating the end of the legislative session. Winter told KUNC that Lebsock became aggressive when she turned down his suggestion that they leave the bar together to engage in sex acts. House Assistant Majority Leader Alec Garnett said he witnessed the event and asked Lebsock to back off.
“Steve Lebsock’s behavior is egregious,” Winter was quoted saying on KUNC. “It’s wide[spread], and it’s time to — instead of isolating him — actually protect the victims.”
Winter shared her story as part of the “me too” movement that has encouraged women across the nation to speak out if they have experienced sexual harassment or violence.
Birkland’s story makes it clear that Lebsock has a reputation at the Capitol for these sorts of encounters, but that Winter and other women were reluctant to report their experiences out of fear it could impact their careers.
That same fear has allowed men like Harvey Weinstein, the film producer who has become the center of a Hollywood backlash against sexual assault, to assault and harass women in the workplace over the years without facing repercussions for their despicable actions.
The Washington Post reported this week that a woman is accusing Roy Moore, a Republican candidate for U.S. Senate in Alabama, of taking her to his house in 1979 and molesting her. She was 14. Other women reported dating Moore when they were in their teens and he was an adult. If true, Moore’s actions are not only despicable, but in the first case criminal, and clearly he should also resign.
We’re glad that a movement across the nation is empowering women and men to speak out about those who have abused their positions or authority in pursuit of sex. Birkland’s story describes a culture at Colorado’s General Assembly that makes it easy for lawmakers, lobbyists and staffers to blur the line that should exist between professional and sexual relationships, particularly between lawmakers and those they employ as staffers or work indirectly with as lobbyists.
There is a sexual harassment workplace policy that covers lawmakers, lobbyists and members of the media, Birkland reported. Duran said she plans to review the policy to see if it’s adequate.
Revisiting the policy to ensure everyone is aware of their rights and the expectations of their behavior before lawmakers head into the 2018 General Assembly would be an appropriate step in light of these reports.
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