Women’s Group Calls for Lang Sias to Immediately Withdraw from Colorado Lieutenant Governor Race After New Exposé from the Colorado Sun Places Him at the Center of 1991 Tailhook Scandal
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Friday, September 14, 2018
CONTACT: Yasmina Dardari | (407) 922-8149 | yasmina@unbendablemedia.com
Women’s Group Calls for Lang Sias to Immediately Withdraw from Colorado Lieutenant Governor Race After New Exposé from the Colorado Sun Places Him at the Center of 1991 Tailhook Scandal
Earlier this afternoon, The Colorado Sun published an investigative report that places Colorado Republican Lieutenant Governor candidate Lang Sias at the center of the 1991 Tailhook military sexual harassment and assault scandal. The report shows that contrary to his public statements that he “didn’t do anything improper or illegal, nor did [he] witness that sort of activity from [his] fellow aviators,” at the conference, Sias attended one of the parties that became a focal point of the investigation. He also told investigators an account that conflicted with that of his superior about what happened at the Las Vegas Hilton Hotel.
Shaunna Thomas, Executive Director and Co-founder of UltraViolet, a leading national women’s group, issued the following statement, calling on Sias to immediately withdraw from the Colorado Lieutenant Governor Race:
“Not only did Lang Sias participate in the largest sexual harassment and assault scandal in U.S. military history, he lied about his involvement for decades. The military sexual assault epidemic persists precisely because of toxic boys’ club codes of silence and obstruction by men like Sias—who lied about what he saw to shield his boss, a commander. The fact that Sias then cites that very same commander as proof that he did nothing wrong at Tailhook tells Coloradans the type of crony mentality Sias will bring to the Lieutenant Governorship.
“Make no mistake: Lang Sias is complicit in what happened at Tailhook, and he had ample opportunity over the last 27 years to come clean about the heinous sexual abuse he witnessed. Instead, he chose to remain silent. People who participate in mass assaults of women deserve to be behind bars—not rewarded with political office. Lang Sias must withdraw from the race immediately.”
For more information, or for interview with an UltraViolet spokesperson, please contact Yasmina Dardari at (407) 922-8149 or by email at yasmina@unbendablemedia.com.
# # #
UltraViolet is an online community of over 1,000,000 women and men who want to take collective action to expose and fight sexism in the public sector, private sector and the media. Find out more at WeAreUltraViolet.org.