California councilwoman decries attempt to ‘slut shame’ her for Burning Man photos- By William Cummings (usatoday.com) / Aug 29 2018
A California councilwoman posted a video online decrying efforts to “slut shame” her using photos from her time as a reveler at the famous Burning Man music festival.
Rachel Hundley, 35, a member of the Sonoma city council and former mayor of the town, said in a YouTube video last week that she received an anonymous email on Aug. 13 that was “nothing short of extortion.”
Hundley shared a screengrab of the email from “Sonoma Citizens for Peace & Cooperation” that urges her not to run for re-election and to “move on with your life.” If she chooses to run, her “candidacy this time will be one of full disclosures to all Sonoma,” the email threatens.
According to Hundley, “full disclosure” consisted of a website “filled with scandalous accusations and racy photos.”
The San Francisco Chronicle reported that the site alleged “lascivious, drunk and drug-addled behavior.”
The “Rachel Hundley Exposed” website has since been taken down, according to The Washington Post.
“The email included a link and what I found was a combination of outright lies and things I’ve proudly posted on social media,” Hudley said in her video. “What was especially disturbing in this era of Me Too, was the attempt to slut-shame me for celebrating my body and for my attendance at Burning Man.”
Hundley said that for the several years she managed a wine bar at Burning Man “that’s associated with a consent-focused, sex-positive theme camp.”
She said the website aimed to “silence another strong female voice by scaring me out of this election.”
“For too long, it has been seen as OK to control women by dictating what is acceptable for us to wear, say and do,” she added. “But I am here today to tell my faceless bullies that I cannot be shamed into quitting because I am not ashamed.”
Burning Man is an annual festival held in the Black Rock Desert, 120 miles north of Reno, Nevada. The event runs from Aug. 26 through Sept. 3 this year. The morning sun rises above the horizon to illuminate the wooden Temple building at Burning Man. Trevor Hughes/USA TODAY NETWORK
