Mindy Haskins Rogers
When art and literature are grooming tactics
Censorship. It's a word, an idea that ignites the ire of people who care about the arts. We all know censorship is bad - it's the stuff of fascists, or worse: of prudes and numbskulls.
Rejecting censorship is righteous. It reveals a person's high-mindedness and sophistication.
Self-protection should be the WSESD's last priority
In addressing the reverberations of grooming and abuse at Brattleboro Union High School over the years, the community needs transparency and accountability, not denial and the appearance of yet more secrecy
Since I published my Viewpoint in The Commons [“No more secrecy,” Voices, Aug. 11], detailing the various investigations into Robert “Zeke” Hecker's behavior with students over the years and the culture of complicity that gave him ongoing access to them, numerous other people have come forward with stories of...
No more secrecy
This community protected an alleged sexual abuser — a longtime high school teacher — for decades. As the country grapples with the revelations of #MeToo and searches for answers and accountability in the stories of Larry Nassar, Jeffrey Epstein, and others, it’s time for my hometown to have its own reckoning.
When I was a student at Brattleboro Union High School in the 1980s, Robert (Zeke) Hecker did not sexually abuse me. I have come to feel fortunate. On several occasions between 1985 and 2018, local agencies and organizations investigated complaints that Hecker engaged in sexual contact with his underage...
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When the nice guys gaslight us
When supporters of Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump called the recording of him bragging about assaulting women “normal locker-room talk,” respectful, courteous men across the internet replied in unison, “That's not normal!” Even my husband joined in, telling me, “I've spent plenty of time in locker rooms, and I've never heard anybody brag about sexual assault.” To my husband and well-meaning friends: I get it. We should not accept this behavior as “normal.” But in your denial, you are unintentionally...