I've been holding back on my response to the Kavanaugh hearing for a bit now, mostly because I wanted my response to be guided by some logic, instead of pure, pulsing emotion. I also wanted to wait and see what the results would be and where I'd stand after that.
Now that Kavanaugh is officially a Supreme Court Justice, I don't know how to feel. It's a whirlwind, really. I'm mostly in shock that after everything surfaced and after Dr. Ford's trial, senators still readily voted him in. The vote was not unanimous by any means, but still, far too many people voted in support of Kavanaugh's.
People are really missing the point with this entire ordeal. Dr. Christine Blasey Ford is a hero. She's an ordinary person in so, so many ways. But she told her story and the courage that comes with that is unimaginable. (Side note that I am not intending to discredit those who have not or cannot come forward; I am appreciating Ford's role as an advocate for so many other women.)
Brett Kavanaugh is scum. He's an ordinary person in a lot of ways, too. But he failed to recognize that he is unfit for Supreme Court for a plethora of reasons, the foremost being his lack of rationality and denial of sexually assaulting Dr. Ford.
Even if Dr. Ford was not telling the truth – let's just suppose – what sense would it make to bring a fabricated story into light just to prevent someone from becoming a Justice as a partisan issue? You do not decide to come forward with a story of sexual harassment, sexual assault, and/or rape just because you have a bone to pick with someone of the opposite political party.
She came forward because he was not and is not fit to be in charge of decisions that will affect people, especially women, everywhere. Not to mention his emotional flair-ups during the hearing were dramatic and uncharacteristic of well-respected Justices.
But because Dr. Ford's words were essentially dismissed – during and after what felt like a criminal trial and Kavanaugh was voted in regardless, the end message of the Kavanaugh hearing is that women do not have a voice, or at least a valid one.
It is so frustrating to realize that men and sometimes even other women don't take us seriously and believe us. If we cannot rely on each other, who are we supposed to rely on? At the very least women can support each other because, for some reason, too many men refuse to stand by women but instead are living in a time of fear. Boo, hoo.
I stand with Dr. Ford.
You should, too, regardless of the gender you identify with.
We need to stand in solidarity with women.
