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Culture > News

Kansas Senator Issues Sexist Code of Conduct for Witnesses

Did you think the days of sexist dress codes ended in middle or high school? We wish.

Kansas state Sen. Mitch Holmes has issued a new code of conduct for women testifying in front of his committee. While the code of conduct applies to men and women, women are given many more limitations. Men are expected to wear “professional attire,” while women can’t wear low-cut necklines or mini-skirts.


There are no specific measurements for what low-cut and mini are, so Holmes will be deciding that himself.

“It’s one of those things that’s hard to define,” Holmes said, according to the Topeka-Capital Journal. So…women are just going to be left up to the whims of what Sen. Holmes defines as too sexy or too distracting. Every day is a new adventure!

Other senators think Holmes’s code is ridiculous—Well, because it is.

“Oh, for crying out loud. What century is this?” Democratic Sen. Laura Kelly said. Republican Sen. Carolyn McGinn chimed in from the other side of the party line, saying, “I am more interested in what they have to say about the direction our state should go than what they’re wearing that day.”

We couldn’t agree more.

“Holmes said he considered stipulating men had to wear suit and tie when addressing his Senate committee, but decided males didn’t need supplemental instruction on how to look professional,” the Journal reports.

Do we need supplemental instruction on how to look professional, or does Holmes need supplemental instruction on how to control himself around women’s bodies?

Rachel graduated from the Honors College at James Madison University in May 2017 and is pursuing a career in the media/PR industry. She majored in Media Arts & Design with a concentration in journalism and minored in Spanish and Creative Writing. She loves spending time with friends and family, traveling, and going to the beach.