Congresswoman Escobar Joins Democratic Womens Caucus to Demand Answers on Discrimination and Harassment at the FBI Training Academy
According to media reports, women trainees were penalized and dismissed at significantly higher rates than their male counterparts and subjected to sexist and inappropriate comments and behavior. One trainee was discharged from the Academy for lacking emotional maturity because she disagreed with her instructor, while a male trainee who had an emotional outburst after receiving instructor critique was not sanctioned for his behavior and was allowed to graduate. Another trainee was subjected to sexually charged comments by her male instructors, including instructors stating women needed to take birth control to control their moods. Yet another trainee, an African American woman, was labeled “spaghetti head” in reference to her braids.