Hill Documentary Emotional

Eighteen months after the Senate confirmed Justice Clarence Thomas to the Supreme Court, television footage of the Senate hearings still elicits intense emotions.

A screening of "Sex and Justice," a documentary about the Senate confirmation hearings, attracted more than 40 people to Boylston Auditorium at 1 p.m. on Saturday. The screening, followed by a discussion, was part of this week's "Take Back the Night" series of events sponsored by the Radcliffe Union of Students to raise awareness of violence against women.

The audience responded with both jeers and frustrated hand gestures to the footage of former Sen. Alan M. Cranston (D-Calif.) and Sen. Orrin B. Hatch (R-Utah) aggressively questioning Anita V. Hill. One woman raised her middle finger repeatedly at Thomas' image on the screen.

In the discussion after the movie, members of the mostly female audience voiced concern that the hearings and their impact on the American consciousness had not significantly changed the position of women in the workplace and government.

"We have the lowest representation of women of all democratically run countries," said Greta Edwards-Anthony, a doctoral student in Women's Studies who led the discussion. Even Iran has a greater percentage of female representation in its government, she said.

Members of the audience debated whether the impression made on Americans by the highly publicized hearings would last. "The overall reality is that Anita Hill is quickly fading," Edwards-Anthony said.

Sexual harassment still occurs at Harvard Law School amid silence, Edwards-Anthony said. Hill spoke at the Law School last week.

"Violence against women is not just physical brutality," said Deborah J. Wexler '95, co-president of the Radcliffe Union of Students. Verbal sexual harassment is often down-played in discussions about the abuse of women, Wexler said.

Several students said gender and race were closely linked in the Thomas hearings.

Many were critical of the senator for acting as though justice could not be served in a situation in which gender was an issue.