Thread by @thisislarrison

Interesting 24 hours.

So I’ve been seeing and getting a lot of messages like the below, and I’d like to break down exactly why opinions like Ms. Beaton’s—and of course Rep. Fosters—are about sexism, not self-protection.

⁦@MSTODAYnews⁩

@MSTODAYnews First, let's talk about what Foster's rep admitted was a "weird request"--that he would not be comfortable with my reporting the story unless I brought my own male chaperone (colleague)

Link to orig story: mississippitoday.org/2019/07/09/rob… @MSTODAYnews

@MSTODAYnews So even though his campaign admitted that the request was "weird" and Foster was the one who felt uncomfortable--he was totally comfortable making it my responsibility to fix it. He made the rule, but I had to make it better /3

@MSTODAYnews Why, you ask, would this guy not see the absurdity of demanding I bring in the reinforcements he requires? Uh... probably because at the end of the day, he doesn't see me as someone who belongs there.

To wit: the inherently sexist Billy Graham rule that Foster invoked /4

@MSTODAYnews Honoring the Billy Graham rule, as Foster explains it, is all about "avoiding the appearance of impropriety." As a result, male candidates can't be seen in a situation with women that might be misconstrued--i.e. alone with them like @VP Pence /5

@MSTODAYnews @VP I have yet to hear of a female politician (don't y'all forget those exist!) who's invoked the Billy Graham rule when dealing with male colleagues.

And this gets at the "perception is everything" statement I got from Foster's campaign that kicked off everything /6

@MSTODAYnews @VP See, most folks, when they see a man in a work setting, like say a business meeting or on the campaign trail w a candidate, assume that the man is there to work, not sleep with the person they're next to. That's because to most people, men are people first, not sexual objects /7

@MSTODAYnews @VP Women don't get the same courtesy. The "appearance of impropriety" arises only when you see a reporter, not as a reporter, but as a sexual object.

I wanted to cover Foster because I love my job. His campaign refused my request because they sexualized me. How's that not sexism?/8