Believe Women

Bruce McKinnon Political Cartoon
Bruce McKinnon Political Cartoon

Brett Kavanaugh was confirmed to the Supreme Court today. He had very credible accusers of him sexually assaulting women. Women (more than just Dr. Ford) that would risk a felony to testify to what he had done. Several of them weren’t even allowed to testify or included in the FBI investigation. Then to top it off he was a complete asshole in his defiant, crying testimony for the job. Testimony that in ANY job interview would get you shown the door.

Yet he was just confirmed.

Forget about the complete bullshit bi-partisanship of people simply pushing their nominee through, and it is bullshit. I’m going to focus on what the country and those senators did to assault victims. Making them relive their own pain, just to vote to push him through.

They basically said, we might believe you, we just don’t care.

I saw people state that all boys act that way in high school. I didn’t. Don’t get me wrong, I did drink, and to excess, but I never forced myself on anyone.

Stating that all boys do that is normalizing rape culture and it’s horrible, and wrong, and so against what good self-proclaimed Christians should be for. It’s just another checkbox in a long line of things that make me despise religion.

I also saw folks state that what you did in high school shouldn’t follow you around forever. Well guess what, if you sexually assault someone, maybe it fucking should. People who abuse children, murderers, and rapists should all face scrutiny and consequences, no matter when it took place.

Now I’m just one guy, but here are some of the women who I dated who have confided in me.

  • A high school girl I dated broke down in tears when we were in the middle of sexual activity, and confided in me that her grandfather and father had both sexually abused her.
  • Another woman was sexually abused by an adult neighbor as a child.
  • Another woman was gang raped by two members of the college football team.
  • Another was raped by a student who had been known to rape more than one woman.
  • Another was abused by her father to the point that family members rescued her and took the girl to safety in another state, not telling the parents where she was and that they had done so.
  • Another was abused physically and mentally by her coked up ex-husband.
  • A colleague was sexually and mentally abused by a boss, and her speaking up helped take him down.
  • A colleague was raped in the military, reported it, and there were no consequences.

These were all women whom I dated, loved or worked with. And these are just the ones that confided in me. This doesn’t even cover all the friends online who came forward with their own stories, and those were legion.

Now some assholes will state “then why didn’t they say anything when it happened?” Well just look at Dr. Ford. She came forward now and was doubted, derided and had actual death threats. Women have been afraid to come forward because they always get demonized in these situations. They dressed too sexy or got too drunk, or why did they put themselves in that position? All things that shouldn’t fucking matter in the least. They were attacked, and saddled with something that breaks a piece of them for the rest of their lives.

None of these women confided in me nonchalantly, it was always with deep pain and uncontrollable sadness. It changed them forever. It didn’t change the abuser. They simply got away with it. Like Brett Kavanaugh.

I have two daughters, and I hope they never have to experience anything so horrific. We teach them safety, and what to do in those situations, but for fuck’s sake we shouldn’t have to.

I wish I had sons so I could teach THEM that it’s not acceptable, and that women aren’t their property or their right to conquer. If you have sons, please, talk with them now. Tell them what is right and what is not. Instill in them the respect for others that everyone deserves. That’s where things have to change.

I have never been more angry or upset with our government as I am right now. Physically sick at how this all came down.

Some assholes say this was just a Democratic tactic to bring down the Supreme Court pick. But if that’s the case, why didn’t anything like this surface when Gorsich was nominated? Could it be because he didn’t fucking assault anyone?

And why would someone like Dr. Ford come forward? This doesn’t gain her ANYTHING, it just gave her more to lose. Every time she teaches a class (if she can even continue) everyone there knows she was sexually assaulted, and she’ll feel shame about that. She SHOULDN’T, because it wasn’t her fault at all, but she will. Some people will judge her, probably verbally abuse her, and like I said, the family has already received death threats.

None of this is right, and if you support Kavanaugh, fuck you. Unfriend me and never speak with me again. I’ve tried to remain friends with people in this cesspool of political crap, but this is a bridge too far.

Have compassion, have empathy, believe women, vote.