I have been following the Katie Hill saga in the media these past few weeks, and I have found a number of cringe-worthy moments between reading articles, watching captions scroll across news feeds and video clips, and seeing the headlines flash “revenge porn” at any given moment.

For those of you not familiar with the events surrounding Katie Hill, check out this mostly fact based article on CNN: "Katie Hill Announces Resignation".

missing the mark on katie hill

So why does the predicament of Katie Hill matter to women? Well, in the articles, talk shows, and opinion pieces, there have been a few perspectives that have really given me pause and cause for concern. They include ...

Commentators asserting that this will be a cautionary tale for women interested in high profile positions—implying that respectable women wouldn’t, or shouldn’t, put themselves in a sexually compromising, and thereby vulnerable, position.
Negative focus on the fact that she engaged in a relationship that wasn’t normative (a joint affair between her, her husband, and another woman). Despite being a consensual relationship by all those involved, the revelations of bisexuality and multiple partners was something regrettable, alarming, and shameful for a public figure.
The insinuation that any aspect of a woman’s sexuality that is made public somehow makes her less capable and professional in all the other areas.

I was also struck by what was NOT being discussed at any critical level. Mainly that a man—her estranged husband—shared private photos of personal and sexual nature without consent in an effort to discredit her. Which is a crime. Somehow the focus shifted off of the criminal behavior of the man and onto the actions of the woman. None of the headlines that I have read in the developments of the story said anything like, “Disgruntled Husband Uses Revenge Porn to Discredit Wife.”

Before I go further, there is an ethics investigation pending against Rep. Hill for having an alleged romantic/sexual relationship with a member of her staff, a rule put in place in light of the revelations of #MeToo and allegations of sexual misconduct. She has denied the affair with the congressional staffer, and if guilty of this, it was right for her to resign. Women, as much as men, should not abuse the balance of power by having a relationship with a member of the staff that either directly, or ultimately, reports to them. But, that isn’t the focus of my concern for this post.

the significance of katie hill

The larger story that will remain untold is that women are never given the freedom to express themselves sexually without it diminishing their professionalism, competence, integrity, capability, or value. And that’s why Katie Hill matters to all women. I’ll repeat that again for emphasis:

Women are never given the freedom to express themselves sexually without it diminishing their professionalism, competence, integrity, capability, or value.

And that, in my opinion, is the most important aspect of this story and so many stories like hers. The truth is that, as a society, we are not comfortable that women are sexual beings AND something else. Not corporate leaders, not politicians, not fighter pilots, not mothers ... the list goes on and on. And yet, everyday in America, women do just that. They engage with their sex and sexuality as well as perform at the highest levels of all of our institutions. The world pretends that women are not sexting their partners, husbands, or hookups. Women have the right to express themselves sexually. That right SHOULD always be free from the fear of public shame, condemnation, or disgrace because she chooses to do so.

I do want to point out a few positive outcomes as a result of this tragic episode. I was lucky to discover Mary Ann Franks, a professor at the University of Miami Law School and President of the Cyber Civil Rights Initiative (CCRI), a 501(c)(3) non-profit advocating for federals laws against non-consensual porn. She wrote a perspective piece for the Washington Post that is spot on. Follow her on Twitter and support her work, which is a crucial platform and voice for women! I was also reminded of the terrible experiences of Krystal Ball in her own run for office and how she was slut-shamed for exploring her own sexuality in her personal life. She wrote, and delivered, a fantastic opinion piece for The Hill TV here.

a woman’s right to sexual agency

Many of the other female columnists and commentators are doing our fellow women a disservice by insinuating, and even more boldly, recommending that women shouldn’t express themselves sexually in healthy, consensual, ways. These pronouncements by women in the media, politics, and government imply that women need to hide their sexuality if they want to do something that requires them to operate in certain public or private spheres. I reject that notion outright.

We have the right to express and engage with our sex and sexuality in any way. We have the right to freely share intimate and sexual images and words with our partners and lovers. We have the right to expect privacy in our personal affairs. We have the right to consent. And, we have a right to a sexual self. Women need to demand these rights. We need to demand that anyone, and any institution, who chooses to publish or share those photos without our consent will be guilty of a crime.

All of these rights, as women, SHOULD come without diminishing ...