The Role of SFWPC on Abuse, Harassment & Assault in San Francisco Politics

Since 2021, SFWPC has been a strong and consistent voice in San Francisco politics on combatting sexual harassment and abuse. During this time, we have advocated for policies to eliminate all forms of harassment, violence, and abuse across all political spaces in San Francisco. Our efforts have included pushing the San Francisco Democratic County Central Committee (DCCC) and local Democratic clubs to take meaningful action.

Guiding Principles in Sexual Violence Advocacy

1. Center Survivors: We always prioritize survivors and their perspectives, consulting with anti-sexual violence organizations to provide resources for those impacted.
2. Maintain Confidentiality: Confidentiality is a cornerstone of our work. All communications with SFWPC regarding sexual violence, such as survey responses, emails, or phone calls, will be kept confidential to the fullest extent possible. We will never disclose anyone’s identity without explicit permission.
3. Support Professional Assistance: While we provide support to survivors, we acknowledge that we are not experts. The trauma resulting from sexual violence requires proper professional support for physical, emotional, and mental well-being.
4. Change Political Culture: We are committed to a cultural shift in the political sphere to address power imbalances. Our best practices include avoiding non-professional physical contact (favoring handshakes over hugs), minimizing alcohol at professional events, promoting alcohol-free alternatives, sharing resources for those impacted by sexual violence, and enacting codes of conduct for those in non-traditional roles, such as campaign staff.

Our ultimate goal is to make San Francisco’s political spaces safer for everyone.

Understanding the Problem

Historically, the lack of boundaries, cronyism, and power dynamics in political spaces has created unsafe environments, where powerful individuals can harass, threaten, or assault others, especially those who are more vulnerable due to their gender, race, age, sexuality, disability, or socioeconomic status. These environments often drive women and non-binary people, whom we represent, out of the political process. To fulfill our mission, we must make political spaces safe.

SFWPC’s Role in Addressing Sexual Violence

To achieve this goal, SFWPC’s role is defined by the following actions:

• Creating Accountability: We bring awareness to specific cases, engage with political community members, and address problematic rhetoric. We serve as an accountability partner to the SF DCCC, assisting in the development and implementation of their sexual harassment and abuse policies.
• Connecting Survivors with Resources: We help link survivors with organizations that can support their physical, mental, and emotional health and provide tools and assistance for justice and accountability.
• Developing Policies: We advocate for policies that center survivors, promote transparency, hold abusers accountable, and incorporate restorative and transformative justice principles.

Note: SFWPC is entirely volunteer-led with limited capacity and resources. We take our role seriously but must also be realistic about our limitations. Anything beyond our outlined role should be handled by professionals.

Approach to Specific Cases

SFWPC handles cases on an individual basis, evaluating all details provided while respecting confidentiality. Actions are determined by a board vote, and due to our volunteer capacity, we may not always respond immediately. A case requires board consensus to proceed, and any actions will be guided by the survivor’s preferences.

Public vs. Anonymous Allegations: Anonymous allegations are evaluated according to established criteria, but we do not amplify anonymous claims on our platforms or act as intermediaries to the DCCC. We may support survivors by connecting them with resources or sharing media contacts for public disclosure of their stories.

An Abbreviated History of SFWPC’s Work

• 2021: In response to public stories breaking about sexual assault in political spaces, of its own accord, we began advocating to hold abusers accountable and end cycles that permit abusers to continue to operate in political spaces. SFWPC called for individuals with credible accusations to step down from leadership positions in any clubs and community organizations.
• 2022: Expanded advocacy efforts under our policy committee and engaged in deeper research on sexual violence, reaching out to survivor support organizations. SFWPC Board members started attending monthly DCCC working group meetings.
• 2023: Conducted an anonymous survey on sexual violence in political spaces (January-March), receiving over 80 responses. Presented initial recommendations to the DCCC in April and made anti-sexual violence policy support a condition for candidate endorsement.
• 2024: Attended DCCC hearings on sexual violence, providing testimony on the issue’s extent and the key pillars emphasized by survivors. Continued participation in working group meetings.

Understanding Sexual Violence in the Context of Intersectionality and Authority

Sexual violence includes any act or attempt to obtain a sexual act by violence, coercion, or manipulation, regardless of the relationship to the victim. It encompasses a range of non-consensual behaviors that violate an individual’s autonomy, safety, and dignity. Rooted in power dynamics, gender inequality, and societal norms, it leaves profound physical, psychological, and emotional scars on survivors, impacting families, communities, and societies. Addressing sexual violence requires comprehensive measures, including legal reforms, education, survivor support services, and cultural shifts toward respect, consent, and equality.