Senator Loretta Weinberg’s Statement on Bob Hugin’s Exclusion of Women from Princeton’s clubs

The revelation that U.S. Senate candidate Bob Hugin fought to exclude women from Princeton’s prominent eating clubs should make residents of New Jersey, men and women alike, angry. An individual who seeks to represent New Jersey should make sure he genuinely represents all of New Jersey’s communities, regardless of gender or sexual orientation. Bob Hugin has shown his true self, and it’s one that paints a grim picture for women across the country, and those that are constantly fighting for equality.

When you fight to keep women from having a seat at the table, you are stating your intentions loud and clear. These are the kinds of situations that lead to the rise of “locker room talk” the feeble excuse men use when they demean and objectify women in private conversation with each other.

Bob Hugin seeks to express remorse for his previous actions, claiming that he has evolved from his previous stance. He says that he wishes he had taken a leadership role in allowing women to join sooner. This makes it sound as if he was simply a bystander who didn’t voice his support for the women’s cause loudly enough, but that’s not the real story. Bob Hugin was president of the Tiger Inn, one of Princeton’s eating clubs, at the time women were allowed in and claimed that the ruling was “politically correct fascism.” Even after the Tiger Inn began to allow women members, he refused to give up his crusade, filing suit to preserve the right for the organization to determine their own membership. As someone who played a key role in repressing women, his claims of newfound open-mindedness and an evolved mindset ring a little hollow. This case played out in the 90’s when Mr. Hugin was an adult and no longer a college student – a time when most of the people I knew were already quite “evolved” on the issue of gender bias.

While Bob Hugin tries to downplay this story and his own actions in it, it’s important to consider what New Jerseyans want out of their representatives. At the end of the day, people need to feel like their candidates actually value them and see them as human beings. How can Bob Hugin fight for women’s rights in Washington, or anyone’s rights, if he has personally fought against them and donated millions to candidates who seek to roll back years of progress? New Jersey voters will not stand for such discrimination.