Burying Victims in Paperwork?

(Expanded Article)

When I first met Navy Lt. Christa Gunsauley, I was overwhelmed by the sheer volume of documentation she had. Emails. Medical reports. Screenshots of text messages.

She had accumulated the paperwork during her two-year battle with the United States Navy, fighting not because she was told she did anything wrong, but because she, as the alleged victim of sexual harassment, has been forced to prove that she isn't crazy.

For Gunsauley, it all started when a superior officer started texting her and inviting her to church.

"Initially, I felt like, 'Oh, wow, he really cares about me as a sailor to the point where he's even checking on me,'" said Gunsauley. But things quickly took a turn, prompting Gunsauley to report the behavior to a senior leader in December 2021 who she claimed ignored her still unofficial cries for help.

"Instead of performing a preliminary investigation, he immediately bullied me by stripping me of command collateral duties," said Gunsauley.

So, she kept the process going on her own and re-reported her complaint to a Naval Information Forces (NAVIFOR) leader who began a preliminary investigation a month after Gunsauley first told her superior. According to Gunsauley, this is where this story should have ended, with the processing of a timely investigation…

Go Beyond the Article

“Don't just protect the brand, protect the people,” Christa shared. “This is why our retention is down in [sic] the gutter. And then you're telling every sailor, ‘Oh, you are a recruiter.’ But guess what? These sailors aren't gonna go tell their family to join the installation that abused them.”

Since publishing this article, I have heard from many who have experienced something similar to Christa and Francesca. They shared that they were not believed, despite collecting evidence. Victims are afraid they won’t be believed. Their “choice” of the timing of their reporting is questioned… ‘why didn’t you report this sooner?’

I was also curious about why Christa’s file incorrectly indicated she has a personality disorder when she reports never having received this diagnosis. Turns out there is a history of the military overdiagnosing personality disorder.

I also was reminded not to assume. I thought it was reasonable to think that if 100 people experienced some kind of sexual harassment a few of them, a lower number, may also have been assaulted. I learned that contrary to what I assumed, there are fewer military sexual harassment claims filed than sexual assault cases annually. Want to learn more about what I learned?

Source: https://www.sapr.mil/sites/default/files/7_Appendix_F_Sexual_Harassment_Assessment.pdf