I was walking to my dorm this morning after class, it was busy and the same as always. Except, this time, I kind of stalked the two boys in front of me. The reason I walked very closely to them so I could hear their conversation, is because I have never heard anything like it. They were talking about Dr. Ford's testimony and were in full support of her.
Now, I never thought hearing boys talk about the rights of a sexual assault victims would be shocking. Honestly, we should expect boys to be just as involved in the conversation as girls are. As I thought about my shock of hearing them, I realized it was because I had never heard any male talk about sexual assault victims in a way that was so supportive of their voices. I think this is because often times men are afraid to speak up, even if they are in support. This does not mean that every male who isn't active in the conversation is supportive of sexual assault. This just shows that it's time for men to realize their voices can make an even bigger difference in support of women.
The boys that I listened to were saying things like "Republicans think that this is just a political attack before the midterms, but it's not," "If she spoke up 30 years ago, no one would have listened, now was the only time she could've done it," "She maintained a cool composure while being asked ridiculous questions for hours, and he was angry and emotional." Hearing this made me smile more than I thought possible.
Dr. Ford made history that day, she spoke up even though she was afraid. She did something incredibly hard, because of this she received death threats, had to take her kids out of school, and deal with reporters bombarding her work and home. After all that, she had to keep reliving her trauma in court and in the eyes of the country. Yet, even though she still went through this, we value his career and pain more than hers. We are concerned over his career and how it is ruined because of her. Why does society value men's pain over women? Her bravery was something to be remembered and told for years to come. But so many young people are still unaware of what this meant for our country. I asked many people what they thought of the case, it was disappointing and sad to see how many men and women didn't know this was happening.
Seeing how many people were still unaware of the history occurring means that it is on all of us, not just specifically men or women, to be able to contribute to the conversation. Dr. Ford did something incredible, and those boys knew that. The world needs to know what she did and the courage it took. If you have never heard of Dr. Ford, I suggest watching her opening statement, it will help you contribute to the conversation.
