Aletheia project, The: an autoethnographic study of sexual harassment in higher education facilities management

Includes bibliographical references.2020 Summer.I am a female, queer, White, working class, androgynous person working in the higher education facilities management industry. After spending fifteen years at one institution, holding positions ranging from plumber to director of operations, I had lost myself in my work. This study is an autoethnographic exploration of my experiences with sexual harassment and microaggressions in the higher education facilities management industry. In an effort to make sense of my experience I explore the literature to gain an understanding of what constitutes sexual harassment, theories of why it occurs, and training methods that are being used. I was unsatisfied with what I found. Theories were largely based on the gender binary and associated with heterosexual attraction. Existing research was heavily quantitative leaving little opportunity for exploration of individual experiences. This work aims to fill those gaps in the literature. Using memory recall exercises, I wrote a personal narrative highlighting experiences throughout my life that are associated with my identity and sexual harassment. Upon completion, I read and reread the narrative. When I came to a spot with which I was uncomfortable, I stopped and wrote letters to either you—the reader—or the person involved in the memory. Pseudonyms were used in all the letters. People are only described by their relationship to my employment role. These letters allowed me to explore my actions and reactions and gain a better understanding of my experience. Using intersectionality and affect theory I analyzed these data and discovered that work becomes property much like education and Whiteness. The sexual harassment that I endured and at times participated in was not related to the gender binary or heterosexual attraction. It was a means of protecting the work as property