A pair of memos--one legitimate and the other made-up--circulated around the state House of Representatives in June. The real one came from the clerk's office, reminding female pages, many of them college- age, to dress appropriately for work. Some female legislators, it seems, had complained that the pages were showing too much skin.
A second memo, anonymously written, then surfaced from the fictional "Men's Caucus." It urged female pages and staff members to ignore the first memo and suggested that pages should save "valuable materials used in blouse construction," and that "dresses should be no longer than 4 inches above the knee." The same memo noted that "the terms `babe,' `honey,' `sugar' and `little missy' should be accepted as compliments and terms of endearment."
The fake memo offended female and male lawmakers alike. Representative Vida Miller called for an investigation into the memo's authorship and asked for an apology. "I love a good joke," Miller says. "But this memo went so far as to say that underwear is optional. That crossed the line."
The scandal, known around the statehouse as "Memogate," spiraled further out of control when the speechwriter for Governor Jim Hodges penned a satirical memo purportedly from the Women's Caucus saying that Men's Caucus members carry caveman clubs. Hodges gave the speechwriter three days unpaid leave and a reprimand.
House Speaker David Wilkins, meanwhile, is pushing measures he hopes will prevent similar scandals. When the legislature reconvenes in January, House members and staff will have to go through workplace sensitivity training.
