Ohio Judge Touts Sexual Past
Justice William O’Neill decided Friday that he was going to be “proactive” in dealing with potential sexual harassment allegations. O’Neill went to Facebook and posted a statement claiming sexual encounters with 50 different women over the last 50 years. He gave details of a “gorgeous blonde” in a hayloft and a redhead in Cleveland.
O’Neill’s point wasn’t entirely clear, he stated that because he is running for Governor of Ohio, he could possibly be a target. Following that line of thought we can assume that O’Neill believes that the recent flood of claims against men in power positions are less about sexual harassment and more about political take downs. By thinking he can circumvent a potential “political hit job” by reaffirming his heterosexual experiences shows his complete lack of understanding of the current social climate.
While it is important to not assume a man is guilty, it is more important to not assume a woman is lying or has ulterior motives when she makes a claim of sexual harassment or abuse. The assumption that a woman is lying or has a “reason” to try to take someone down is a large reason why many women refuse to speak up when men exhibit inappropriate behavior that violates women’s personal space.
The smart move for O’Neill would have been for him to not say anything at all and focus on the issues he wants to campaign on such as marijuana legalization and combating the opioid crisis in Ohio. Instead, his use of Facebook probably just ended his run at Governor before it even really began.
An Ohio Supreme Court justice who recently declared his intention to run for governor defended “heterosexual males” Friday amid mounting accusations of sexual misconduct.
Justice William O’Neill took to Facebook on Friday morning to make a statement about what he described as the “national feeding frenzy about sexual indiscretions,” and in doing so he disclosed details about his sexual history.
“In the last fifty years I was sexually intimate with approximately 50 very attractive females,” O’Neill, a Democrat, wrote. “It ranged from a gorgeous blonde who was my first true love and we made passionate love in the hayloft of her parents barn and ended with a drop dead gorgeous red head from Cleveland.
“Now can we get back to discussing legalizing marijuana and opening the state hospital network to combat the opioid crisis.”
By Friday afternoon, after a storm of bipartisan condemnation from Ohio politicians, the post was deleted. Shortly before 6 p.m., O’Neill posted new comments.
“As an aside for all you sanctimonious judges who are demanding my resignation, hear this. I was a civil right lawyer actively prosecuting sexual harassment cases on behalf of the Attorney General’s Office before Anita Hill and before you were born,” O’Neill wrote.
“Lighten up folks. This is how Democrats remain in the minority,” he wrote.
In an earlier interview with the Columbus Dispatch shortly after his first post went up, O’Neill mentioned the allegations surrounding Franken and Republican Senate candidate Roy Moore of Alabama. He told the Dispatch in a phone interview, “I’m a candidate for governor, and I assume I’m the next target.”
The initial Facebook post drew swift criticism from other Ohio judges — including the chief justice of the state’s Supreme Court.
“No words can convey my shock,” Ohio Chief Justice Maureen O’Connor said in a statement emailed to The Washington Post. “This gross disrespect for women shakes the public’s confidence in the integrity of the judiciary.”
Steve
Steve is an affordable multifamily housing professional that is also the co-founder of Whiskey Congress. Steve has written for national publications such as The National Marijuana News and other outlets as a guest blogger on topics covering sports, politics, and cannabis. Steve loves whiskey, cigars, and uses powerlifting as an outlet to deal with the fact that no one listens to his brilliant ideas.
