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"He stopped treating me as a peer the moment he touched me. "
– Lucy Flores, a former member of the Nevada Assembly who said Joseph R. Biden Jr. had touched and inappropriately kissed her in 2014
On Wednesday, in a video posted on Twitter, former Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. acknowledged that he had made some women feel uncomfortable over the years by touching them too familiarly – such as hugging or hugging them for prolonged periods.
He did not apologize, but rather stated that his inclination to show affection to women and girls may not be appropriate today. He promised to be "more attentive and respectful of people's personal space."
"Social norms have begun to change," Biden, 76, says in the video, who was invited by the women who came forward over the last week with stories about his unwanted touching – departure with Lucy Flores, the former Nevada woman who wrote an essay on her meeting with him in 2014.
"They have changed," said Biden, "and the limits of personal space protection have been reset and I understand." I understood. "I hear what they say. . "
[READMORE:[READMORE:[LIRELASUITE:[READMORE:Biden's touch policy threatens its return to the #MeToo era]
But some of the women who spoke told the Washington Post that he had forgotten a crucial point: yes, times have changed, they said, but not because women have become more sensitive to human rights violations. their personal space, but because they are more emboldened to talk.
Sofie Karasek, who appeared on stage with Lady Gaga at the 2016 Oscars alongside dozens of other victims of sexual assault, said that it had taken her a while to realize how much she had been uncomfortable with the former vice president she had met after the ceremony (Biden had introduced the show).
He had joined Karasek's hands and pressed his forehead against his, a moment captured on a widely shared photograph – a copy of which she kept at home for a while. She picked it up as #MeToo started to gain ground.
In the video, Biden "still has not taken things in hand," Karasek told the newspaper. "Too often, what the woman thinks about it does not matter or she just assumes it's okay."
Vail Kohnert-Yount, trainee at the White House in 2013, said that Biden had one day pressed his forehead against his and had her treated as "pretty girl" while she was seated. He was waiting for a handshake. "But that's the kind of inappropriate behavior that makes many women feel uncomfortable and uneven in their workplace. "
In the video, she said, "For me, it is not primarily a question of whether Joe Biden sufficiently respects the personal space. These are women deserving equal respect in the workplace. "
[READMORE:[READMORE:[LIRELASUITE:[READMORE:Joe Biden's emotions in readers]
Even when these stories were published, many women came to Biden's defense, claiming that her actions had been misinterpreted.
Erin Bilbray, a former Democratic congressional candidate from Nevada, said Biden had kissed and kissed her on the head at a meeting in 2014. "It was a very nourishing supportive action" said Bilbray on Facebook. "It was not anything other than that."
Senator Susan Collins, Republican of Maine, said Biden was "a very loving person who is a natural contact". And Meghan McCain called him "one of the truly honest and compassionate men of all American politics".
The question of whether Biden's prospects will be affected (he should announce soon whether he will seek to become president) remains uncertain, but President Nancy Pelosi said this week that she did not think the allegations were "disqualifying", suggesting that the discord was somewhat rooted in generational differences.
"He has to understand in the world where we are now that people's space is important to them," said Pelosi, 79. "What's important is how they receive it and not necessarily how you want it."
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What else is going on
Here are five Times articles that you may have missed.
As people debate the relevance of Joe Biden's actions – and are waiting for his decision to stand for presidential elections – he has received He again criticized the treatment of Anita Hill's testimony at Justice Clarence Thomas' confirmation hearing in 1991. Biden, then senator from Delaware, chaired the Senate Judiciary Committee.
Maureen Dowd, then Washington correspondent, wrote in an article on the front page of the Washington Times, that the audience "offered a rare glimpse into the mechanisms of power and decision-making in Washington, a city where men have always rules and the Senate remains a predominantly male club."
In a speech last week, Biden expressed regret for the hearing. Hill "faced a committee that did not really understand what it was about," he said. "To this day, I regret not being able to give her the kind of audience she deserved. I would have liked to be able to do something.
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