We've been making progress as a society in our reactions to rape allegations. The running line is "don't teach girls not to be raped-- teach boys not to rape." As a woman, nothing makes me happier than knowing that my sexuality and my identity is now protected by my society. We are now teaching our daughters and our friends not to say silent when a man demeans us by making a "casual" grab or a disgusting comment, and I feel like we need to celebrate this.
However, there have also been a lot of infuriating things that have happened in our society as well. Insert: Brock Turner. I feel like I don't even need to discuss the details. We all know the details. We all have a variety of angry feelings over his "life being ruined for some action." What about the 94% of women who experience PTSD following rape (RAINN)? Their lives are the ones we should be concerned about being ruined. 1 in 5 women will be a victim of sexual assault in their lifetime according to Safe Horizon, and I think steps need to be taken where we stand as a society to say that this isn't okay. That we will not let men get away with these inhuman actions.
Are you still with me? Good.
We all know the truth about Bill Cosby now, but do we remember when reports of sexual assault allegations against him began? The first accusation against him was in 2000. Accusations continued: three in 2005, one in 2006, then a flood of accusations in 2014 ("Bill Cosby sexual abuse claims- 57 women and the dates they went public," The Guardian). Yet people still doubted his guilt. In interviews he refused to comment on these accusations saying, "I know people are tired of me not saying anything, but a guy doesn't have to answer to innuendos. People should fact-check. People shouldn't have to go through that and shouldn't answer to innuendos" (Mclaughlin, Martinez, Brumfield, CNN).
He made us doubt. Why did we give so much credit to one man versus an entire group of women who were finally airing their grievances?
It's a well-known fact that women often don't report sexual assault for fear of retribution from the person who assaulted, and they also fear not being believed. Who could blame them for fearing to voice their horrifying experiences with Cosby? He was everyone's favorite TV goofball. He was the prime example of good, wholesome comedy. Who would've believed them? It's hard to doubt that this was Cosby's. He knew his position protected him, and he used it for insidious purposes.
I like to keep my political views to myself, but in this instance this is more of an education on the violent sexual history of Donald Trump. This is not my opinion. I didn't fabricate this to defame Donald Trump. I am merely reporting the facts.
Donald Trump has been accused of rape three times.
The most recent allegation was filed in 2016 where a woman claims to have been raped by Jeffrey Epstein and Trump at the age of thirteen in 1994. She says she was "tied to a bed and forcibly raped by Trump" (Russell, Courthouse News Service). She also describes Trump and Epstein arguing over who should take her virginity. Trump denies this happened, however, his friend Epstein is a registered sex offender.
Trump is quoted saying that Epstein is," a lot of fun to be with. It is even said that he likes beautiful women as much as I do, and many of them are on the younger side" (Prestigiacomo, The Daily Wire).
Trump's friendship with Epstein is well-documented. He would fly on Epstein's private plane with him-- a plane known for being used to have sexual orgies with underage girls (Prestigiacomo, The Daily Wire).
His ex-wife, Ivana Trump, has also accused Trump of rape. In 1989, Ivana Trump said became Trump angry with her and forcibly had sex with her. In a deposition in their divorce case, Ivana Trump said she "felt violated" during this incident (Lewandowski, The Atlantic). A special counsel for the Trump Organization, Michael Cohen, tried to defend Trump by saying, "you can't rape your spouse" (Mac, Zadrozny, The Daily Beast).
In 1997, another woman accused Trump of sexual assault. The wife of one of Trump's business colleagues, Jill Harth, said that Trump, "touched her intimately without consent after her husband went into business with him" (Bloom, The Huffington Post). Her lawsuit includes allegations of multiple attempts by Trump to rape her. This is how she reported the incident: "Trump forcefully removed (Harth) from public areas of Mar-A-Lago in Florida and forced (her) into a bedroom belonging to defendant’s daughter Ivanka, wherein (Trump) forcibly kissed, fondled, and restrained (her) from leaving, against (her) will and despite her protests" (Bloom, The Huffington Post). He also reportedly told her that he would "be the best lover" she would ever have.
It's important to take these allegations seriously. Trump's misogyny is well-documented. While we weren't there to witness these violent sexual acts, we have witnessed a lot of misogynistic discourse where he devalues and attempts to humiliate women.
It's not enough to keep hiding under illusions created by powerful men. Powerful men aren't "just accused of rape." No one is "just accused of rape." Rape is such a forceful, inhuman act that all allegations need to be taken seriously.
So before we give ourselves a pat on the back for our society's proper outrage against Brock Turner, we need to give due attention to a Presidential Candidate who is accused of horrific acts against women.
We can't continue to reward men by our ignorance. Who cares if they're great swimmers, actors, football players, or business men? They are ruining lives and we are encouraging their behavior by turning a blind eye. We can't.
