[ti:US Service Industry Workers Training to Stop Sexual Harassment] [by:www.51voa.com] [00:00.00]更多听力请访问51VOA.COM [00:01.28]Accusations of sexual wrongdoing by film producer Harvey Weinstein [00:08.00]and other famous people are having an effect on American businesses. [00:15.60]What is being called the "Weinstein Effect" [00:19.02]has men in powerful positions facing similar accusations. [00:25.52]It is also increasing understanding [00:29.20]about the difference between friendly exchanges and criminal acts. [00:36.76]American Tyler Phillips has worked in the service industry [00:41.96]since he was 15 years old. [00:45.12]He now makes coffee and other drinks for a living. [00:51.40]Phillips has witnessed the power imbalance in places where he worked. [00:58.96]He says he has seen wealthy customers making unkind comments [01:06.40]or taking unwanted actions toward younger, low-wage workers. [01:14.16]"Sexism, racism -- is endemic to this industry," he says. [01:21.56]But Phillips also admits that he, like many others in the service industry, [01:28.96]has no guidance from his employers on how to intervene in these situations. [01:39.00]So he joined several other people after work for a class [01:44.72]on sexual harassment at The Potter's House. [01:49.44]The 57-year-old store has made a name for itself in Washington, D.C. area. [01:58.56]Locals like to go to The Potter's House because, unlike many coffee shops, [02:05.64]it offers safe spaces for discussion and creative expression. [02:13.28]Its business model is almost unheard of in the industry. [02:19.28]It is a non-profit business, asking customers [02:24.40]to "pay what you can" for a cup of coffee. [02:30.64]Melissa Yeo and another volunteer set up the training [02:36.24]from a group called Collective Action for Safe Spaces. [02:41.68]It started eight years ago with a goal of ending sexual harassment [02:48.16]and abuse in the DC area. [02:52.12]The demand for the classes increased last month after Harvey Weinstein [02:58.68]and other influential men were accused of sexual harassment. [03:05.56]Yeo notes that many people are unwilling to step in and stop harassment. [03:14.84]For them, she says, it is "often not knowing if it will work, [03:22.20]not knowing exactly what to do, or thinking it's none of their business." [03:31.24]On a recent day, the coffee workers attending the class [03:36.56]were from all over the DC area. [03:40.68]They shared personal stories, which prove how common the problem. [03:47.56]Some explained what they did to stop the abuse. [03:52.56]They started by saying their first name and what gender they identify with. [04:01.00]"My name is Sam," said one man, [04:05.04]as he began telling what he witnessed. [04:09.08]He says a customer made a co-worker so uneasy [04:14.68]with comments about her body that she left the area. [04:20.56]Sam spoke to the man and asked that he stop "from making comments [04:27.84]on the appearance of people who work in this space." [04:32.58]Instead of stopping, the customer argued that he was raised in the 1950's. [04:41.24]"That's no excuse," said the leader of the class. [04:46.68]The exercise continued until all the workers shared their experiences. [04:53.37]The group decided how severe the discrimination was [04:58.56]and rated it with markings on the wall in the front of the room. [05:04.84]Then Yeo added four more actions, including "Misgendering" and "Following." [05:14.32]Each of the four was written on a piece of paper, and added to the wall. [05:22.04]The two-hour class ended with students role-playing. [05:27.76]Each person took on the behavior of someone else as part of a training exercise. [05:36.20]Mike Balderrama, one of the students, [05:39.63]is the acting general manager of The Potter's House. [05:44.96]He says the subject of intervening and stopping discrimination [05:51.24]is "very near and dear to our heart." [05:55.68]Balderrama said the next training program for coffee shop employees [06:01.72]is expected to deal with mental health and first aid. [06:08.24]So The Potter's House will once again create the place [06:13.20]for exploration of those issues. [06:18.12]I'm Lucija Millonig. 更多听力请访问51VOA.COM