With no doubt in mind, the past decade will go down in history for its setbacks and achievements in the fight for human rights. The Me Too movement has been a huge success in motivating survivors of sexual assault to step forward, to not only share their stories with the world but to hold their attackers responsible. Despite people believing the Me Too movement was recently created by actors Rose McGowan and Alyssa Milano, its beginning took place nearly twenty-two years ago. Tarana Burke began the movement in 1997 and dedicated her life to helping survivors of sexual assault. However, this movement went viral on Twitter following McGowan’s allegations of sexual assault against Harvey Weinstein. It didn’t take long until more victims stepped forward, now with a total of 80 victims claiming sexual assault or rape with investigations open in California, New York State, and London. What has followed these events has been labeled as the “Weinstein Effect” which has empowered more women and men to step forward and confront their abusers.
Larry Nassar, the former U.S. Olympic gymnastic’s doctor, was confronted by one-hundred and fifty-six of his victims. Nassar has been put behind bars for one-hundred and seventy-five years on ten counts of sexual assault against U.S. gymnasts, including Aly Raisman and Jordyn Wieber. The popular actor, Kevin Spacey, is under investigation for over a dozen allegations of sexual assault against young men and boys. Bill Cosby, popular TV star, was accused by sixty women of sexual assault and was sentenced to three to ten years in prison on three counts of aggravated indecent assault. While these cases have sparked bravery in victims and important conversations regarding domestic and sexual violence, the recent confirmation of Brett Kavanaugh has brought the country backward in the fight against sex crimes.
The allegations against Brett Kavanaugh made by Christine Blasey Ford were a shock to the nation. Kavanaugh was nominated by President Trump to sit on the Supreme Court alongside feminist trailblazer, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who has fought for women’s rights for decades. Some have expressed that America’s greatest sigh of relief is knowing that Trump’s time in office may only last four years. However, Supreme Court Justices hold their position for life unless they face impeachment. Now that Brett Kavanaugh has a seat on the Court, America has a sexual predator reviewing our country’s most important cases for decades to come. Since Blasey Ford’s allegations surfaced, two more victims have stepped forward to speak out against Kavanaugh, along with classmates from Yale detailing his belligerent and violent drinking habits.
Aside from what this means for the Me Too movement and the punishment of sex offenders, many feel that the allegations brought forth against Kavanaugh were politicized and took attention away from what it means to be a survivor of sexual assault. People began viewing Ford’s story as a movement for the Democratic Party and a major set back for the Republican side of the election. In reality, the Me Too movement is an issue involving everyone. Women and men of all ages, races, and political parties experience sexual assault. For further insight into Kavanaugh’s confirmation and the issues of people viewing this case of sexual assault as a bipartisan matter, I was able to interview Lasell College Professor, Karin Raye. Professor Raye not only has experience as an attorney but is an activist for human rights and advocate for victims of sexual and domestic violence. In this interview, I asked about her thoughts on Kavanaugh’s confirmation and testimony, as well as the testimony of Dr. Ford.
“I take sexual assault as a non-partisan issue as it impacts all women and men. For me there were two issues, one being if there was ever any sliver of doubt (in Kavanaugh’s ability to function as a Supreme Court Justice) there were a lot of other people that could be nominated. Secondly, when he (Kavanaugh) was testifying, from my perspective as an attorney, he did not reflect a judicial temperament. As someone who does work with cases of sexual and domestic violence, his testimony reflected some behavior that concerned me in the way that he spoke to people, and the kind of entitlement he felt in that moment was difficult to watch knowing that he had been accused of sexual assault.”
In response to Blasey Ford’s testimony, Raye stated, “Again, as someone who does work with sexual and domestic violence, people respond to trauma differently; fight, flight, or freeze. The fact that she (Blasey Ford) had holes in her story actually legitimized it, for me, more so. When people are traumatized they lose their peripheral story-telling ability and their amygdala doesn’t allow them to retrieve memories because they’re in a survival mode. The fact that she has significant gaps in her story was reflective of victimization from my perspective.”
Kavanaugh’s confirmation to the Supreme Court is indeed an event that must be addressed within the government system. Me Too has now been buried by the ongoing battle of Republican versus Democrat, shifting focus from survivors taking back their lives and their attackers being held responsible. In order to truly survive sexual assault and domestic violence, victims must be able to come together despite personal or political background. There is no situation where sexual assault should be accepted or ignored, and the right to consent is one that should not be taken away. Moving forward, we must continue the conversation about Me Too and reinforce the idea that it is okay to come forward when you have been assaulted. Asking for help and letting the victim be heard without casting blame or judgment is the only way to continue to fight back, as it has become clear that rape culture will not dissipate by laying idle. Speaking out is key, and no matter where you go in life, there are people who are willing to listen to your story.
National Rape and Domestic Violence Hotline: 1-800-656-4673 (24 Hours)
National Suicide Prevention Hotline: 1-800-273-8255 (24 Hours)
References
Cooney, Samantha. “Harvey Weinstein Subject of Probes in London, Los Angeles.” Time, 25 May 2018, time.com/5291492/harvey-weinstein-criminal-investigations/.
Garcia, Sandra E. “The Woman Who Created #MeToo Long Before Hashtags.” The New York Times, 20 Oct. 2017, www.nytimes.com/2017/10/20/us/me-too-movement-tarana-burke.html.
“Larry Nassar Case: The 156 Women Who Confronted a Predator.” BBC News, BBC, 25 Jan. 2018, www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-42725339.
Mallenbaum, Carly, et al. “A Complete List of the 60 Bill Cosby Accusers and Their Reactions to His Prison Sentence.” USA Today, Gannett Satellite Information Network, 26 Sept. 2018, www.usatoday.com/story/life/people/2018/04/27/bill-cosby-full-list-accusers/555144002/.
Raye, Karin. Personal Interview. By Tirzah McGowan. 15 October, 2018.