By Pacific Island Times News Staff
Guam senators have voted to censure Sen. William Parkinson over the infamous “lewd gesture” directed at Sen. Joanne Brown during a session in October.
“I'm not happy to be doing this against one of my colleagues, but I do believe that . . . we have a responsibility to ensure that we're able to raise girls and women who are going to be able to speak out as senators or in any other capacity without being harassed,” said Speaker Therese Terlaje, the main author of Resolution 579-37.
During a lame-duck session on Monday, nine senators voted to adopt the resolution censuring Parkinson for his “disorderly, sexually explicit hand gesture” that “caused significant inconvenience, annoyance and distress” at the session hall.
Sen. Sabina Perez said the Oct. 20 incident “speaks to the need for decorum” and “respect for one another.”
Parkinson “made an inappropriate sexual gesture” toward Brown during a legislative debate on Bill 355-37, an appropriations measure for the Mayors’
Council of Guam, Guam Cancer Care and other agencies.
“Sen. Brown doesn't deserve to feel demeaned or disrespected," Perez said, criticizing Parkinson for acting "like he was with a couple of his frat buddies at a bar."
But he wasn't in a bar, Perez added. "He was in that sacred place we call the Guam legislature.”
According to the resolution, the spectacle created “a hostile and inappropriate environment” at the legislature and set “a dangerous precedent for the treatment of women."
Parkinson was reelected on Nov. 5 and will return to his seat as a member of the 38th Guam Legislature, while Brown lost her reelection bid.
“I see the disdain for strong women who speak out and by all means certainly, I fall in that category even though I'm just a girl. Some really can't stand it. They hate it. I don't know what those hang-ups are. I don't even want to know. But I have to tell you, it is not okay," Brown said.
The veteran lawmaker resented the name-calling during disagreements over issues. "Here we are 42 years later and women are still having to go through this type of harassment. Why does a debate have comments like 'old hag' directed at one of my colleagues -- not once but twice."
“I would never have imagined that my time in the legislature would be finished with this discussion,” she said. “But I'm not a victim. I wouldn't put up with this under other circumstances, because I am somebody's daughter. I am somebody's mother."
Sens. Chris Barnett and Telo Taitague said the tensions could have been mitigated by “a simple apology,” which Parkinson didn’t offer.
“There's only two words that the people of Guam want to hear. And those two words are, ‘I'm sorry,’” Barnett said.
He also expressed disappointment that the governor along with “other prominent women” endorsed Parkinson’s reelection campaign “after the senator made that sexually explicit gesture that harassed a female colleague of ours.”
“These were some of the same individuals who, just years ago, were talking about the future of famalao’an. But I guess that future only applies to the women who are on their side. I just don't appreciate the hypocrisy of it,” Barnett said.
Taitague pointed out that getting Parkinson off the hook would send a wrong signal to future transgressors.
“The next person who does something like this will say, ‘well, you let Sen. Parkinson get away with it, so can I,’” she said. “You're not going to learn if you're not punished."
Sen. Dwayne San Nicolas defended Parkinson, describing the legislative action as a “witch hunt.”
“Is this action by our body commensurate to the good that Sen. Parkinson does?” asked San Nicolas, who voted against the resolution along with Sen. Roy Quinata.
Parkinson recused himself during the vote on the resolution, griping that he "wasn't given due process.”
Sens. Joe San Agustin, Tom Fisher and Amanda Shelton were excused.
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