I believe her. I believe Christine Blasey Ford. I believe Brett Kavanaugh assaulted her when she was in high school and I believe women everywhere when they say they are assaulted.
When I was sexually assaulted as a graduate student (at the different institution than I attend now), I didn't report it. I consulted a friend who was an attorney and his advice was if you wanted sex and then changed your mind, even if you made it known that you changed your mind and the guy didn't hear that it'll be hard for you.
The American "justice" system is rigged against women who are sexually assaulted. The invasive, intrusive process to collect evidence from a sexual assault is demeaning and dehumanizing. Add that to the way that women are treated when they walk into an emergency room or a police station to report an assault and no wonder women choose to not come forward.
Something has to change in our system. Something has to change and it needs to begin now! We need to believe women. I saw that as a hashtag on Twitter earlier, #believe women, but why don't we believe women? What about a woman's story makes her the one to be believed not the guy who she is accusing? Why is the default burden of proof on the accuser and her body?
Why is it that as a woman, we have to open ourselves up (literally) to being poked and prodded just to prove to the world that someone else violated us? Why am I harmed and not given sympathy or empathy?
WHY? Why am I the one who left graduate school, in part because of this when my attacker has an MBA? Why does it feel like no one cares?
So, I believe you, Christine Blasey Ford. I believe your 17-year-old self who was too scared to come forward then and I applaud and stand with you coming forward now. Good for you. I'm proud of you.
We need to believe women, and we need to teach men and women's bodies are not their playgrounds. Women are people, humans who deserve dignity and respect and most of all to be trusted to come with the truth when someone has violated their very personhood.
So let the change start with you. Treat those around you, all of them, with respect. Treat all people the way you would like to be treated. And, believe women, period.
