As has happened with other women, the headlines that launched the #metoo and #timesup movements ripped open some old, long-buried wounds.

I was a young reporter looking for a break. He was a muckity-muck human resources director for a newspaper chain. One of the good ones.

I got the job. He kept tabs on me. Calling me at work. Calling me at home. Questioning how I was doing on the job. Questioning my whereabouts when I wasn’t home to take his calls.

The questions became hostile. Then the threats came. If I didn’t do what he wanted, I’d be fired. I’d never work again.

It was terrifying to report this to my immediate supervisors. There was an investigation. He got a letter in his permanent record. I was ordered into mandatory counseling.

I was even more scared when I saw the therapist. On a good day, I’m naturally soft-spoken. This wasn’t a good day.

The therapist asked if he could sit closer because he had trouble hearing me. I said yes and tearfully stumbled through the story.

His “professional” assessment? He claimed that I’d deliberately spoken softly because I wanted him to move close so that I could seduce him. What?

He laughed as I walked out the door. I cussed. A lot.

I moved on to another newspaper; a better one that prided itself on its commitment to diversity in the workplace and opportunities for women. I moved up to become an award-winning journalist.

Ultimately, my life’s journey led me to the Baha’i Faith. The equality of women and men is one of the Faith’s core principals. In it, I found healing reassurance.

So when those old wounds were aggravated by recent headlines, I reached again for the balm of truth that healed me long ago:

“Baha’u’llah declares the absolute equality of the sexes. … Verily, they are equal before God, for so he created them. Why should woman be deprived of exercising the fullest opportunities offered by life? Whosoever serves humanity most is nearest God — for God is no respecter of gender. The male and female are like the two wings of a bird and when both wings are reinforced with the same impulse the bird of humanity will be enabled to soar heaven-ward to the summit of progress. …” (Abdu’l-Baha, Divine Philosophy, p. 82)

And: “Women have equal rights with men upon earth; in religion and society … As long as women are prevented from attaining their highest possibilities, so long will men be unable to achieve the greatness which might be theirs.” (Abdu’l-Baha, December 1911, Paris Talks, p. 133)

Another favorite: “… God hath created all humankind in His own image, and after His own likeness. That is, men and women alike are the revealers of His names and attributes, and from the spiritual viewpoint there is no difference between them.” (Abdu’l-Baha, Selections from the Writings of Abdu’l-Baha, p. 79)

Would you like to learn more about Baha’i teachings on gender equality? Please join the Baha’i’s of Las Cruces for a discussion lead by me and Darrell Rodgers (my other wing) on “Two Wings of a Bird, the Equality of Women and Men” at 7 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 26, at Good Samaritan Society-Las Cruces Village, 3025 Terrace Dr