August 28, 2020
Dear Mr. Obrecht: At Minerals Committee yesterday afternoon, Jennifer Wilmetti, the Chair of the Wyoming Council for Women's Issues, testified and presented the statutorily mandated report from the WCWI to the Minerals Committee. As the recent vice-chair of the Wyoming Council for Women's Issues--my term expired June 30, 2020--and the founder of the Wyoming Women's Action Network, I was excited to see the WCWI presentation on the Minerals Committee agenda. Unfortunately, that excitement was short-lived. Ms. Wilmetti began to share her slides and when she said, "I'm going to share my slides if that's ok," Chairman Anderson responded, "We'd rather look at you." Chairman Anderson's comments were inappropriate and minimized the ability of the presenter to be taken seriously. Women should not have to be skilled at brushing off casual misogyny in order to do our work or share our expertise. When women have to manage this behavior just to present at committee, it makes clear that committee meetings are not actually a space intended for us. What steps can we take to ensure that our Legislature becomes and remains welcoming to all people? I'll look forward to your response. Thank you. Cheers, Jennifer M Simon, MTS Wyoming Women's Action Network | Founder info@wyomingwomensnetwork.com she/her/hers
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