The glimmer of light in Erin Molan's sad groping story

Erin Molan could be you or me. We've all had times when unwanted advances or touches have invaded our personal space. In this instance, the TV and radio host was groped by a man who was known to her partner as she tried to enjoy some downtime at a Sydney pub.

It goes without saying that no amount of booze can excuse a pitiful bloke placing his sweaty little hand on a woman's bottom without her consent, no matter how attractive he might find her.

Erin later admitted she was in a state of shock over what transpired and wasn't quite sure what to do in the moment, and that's something all women can relate to. No matter how strong we think we are, there are times we feel intimidated and stay quiet for fear of being branded a troublemaker. In most cases, we grin and bare it rather than make a scene. But I say bull to that. The more that people are called out for their inappropriate and appalling behaviour, the better.

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I think the real star here is the manager of The Buena in Mosman, who swiftly ejected the groper and slapped him with a six-month ban. A big round of applause for taking such immediate and strong action. Telling this guy to go away as opposed to giving him a wink and a nudge, which might've happened in years gone by, was exactly the right thing to do.

No doubt (or at least let's hope) the handsy bloke got home and reflected on what he had stupidly done.

Getting the message across

I have a 21-year old son, who often manages a popular pub himself. He told me that without question the venue he works at would have done the same thing as The Buena. And I think that is fantastic.

Slowly and surely the message IS getting across: humans — no matter their gender — have to know their boundaries. For a well-known bar to take the action they did is a reflection of where we should be when it comes to those boundaries and respecting personal space.

So while this episode is disturbing, it's shining light on the kind of behaviour we are no longer tolerating and is being steadily stamped out, especially in public spaces. And that can only be a very good thing.

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