First hand? Well I'm a guy, and there was only one gay guy in the Legislature back then (Glen Maxey from Austin, of course). So I wasn't exactly at much risk of being a target for sexual harassment. Besides, I'm not quite sure how to put this, but somebody who meets me can pretty much tell right away that I'm not gay. I ooze heterosexuality and masculinity. Lol. So even Maxey would have left me alone.
Anecdotes about other people? Tons. It's a place run by dirty, old, and often drunk men with lax ethics. Furthermore, the members have huge leverage on the staff. They don't have the legal protections that other state employees have, and their bosses can pretty much ruin their careers at any time. It's a toxic combination that encourages bad behavior. Furthermore, the media knows about the the sleaziness, and they basically laugh it off. They view it the way the national media views Joe Biden.
And of course, by the time I got there, Pete Laney had been Speaker for a few years and had cleaned the place up some. He got rid of the beer kegs and margarita machines in the halls and kicked the strippers off the House floor.
I'm sure they are, but suspect that politicians might be even worse. There's even less accountability.
Last edited: Nov 18, 2017