Member-only story
Column
The Left’s Misogyny Problem
The Aaron Coleman saga shows how for too many ‘progressive’ men, women’s well-being takes a backseat to political convenience
All sexism is bad, but there’s nothing quite as frustrating as sexism from supposed progressives. Women have come to expect misogyny from the right — under this administration, it’s practically their calling card. But when it comes from the left, it’s a painful reminder of how foundational misogyny is in this country. After all, how can women make progress when even those who claim to be our allies peddle in sexism without hesitation?
That sad reality reared its head last week as men on the left rushed to defend a young Democratic candidate who admitted to abuse, some of it criminal, of girls.
Aaron Coleman, 19 years old and bound for a house seat in Kansas until he announced his intention to drop out on Sunday, committed serious harassment and sexual misconduct when he was a teenager: Between the ages of 12 and 14, he bullied one girl so badly that she attempted suicide; extorted another classmate with a nude photo which he later sent to her friends and family (which legally amounts to distributing child pornography, among other things); and harassed a third young woman for months.
