Just 12 hours ago, President Donald Trump posted the
following statement on Twitter, his preferred forum of communication:
Donald Trump is referring to the alleged sexual assault that
took place approximately three decades ago, where Christine Blasey Ford was
victimized by Brett Kavanaugh, President Trump’s Supreme Court nominee.
President Trump, who has no training in the fields of
medicine, sociology, psychology, or psychiatry, seems to feel strongly enough
about his understanding of the female reaction to sexual assault to make
inflammatory, victim blaming statements on a public forum. SHEESH I WONDER WHY VICTIMS
ARE SO AFRAID TO COME FORWARD!
As a survivor of sexual assault, and I choose to write
sexual assault rather than “rape” most of the time because that word seems to
make my bones cringe every time I associate it with myself, I cannot imagine
the strength it takes to come forward not only to the entire nation, but to the
entire world. While I chose not to press charges or draw attention to myself
out of fear and self-blame, I applaud all women who feel the strength and
empowerment to come forward; I don’t care how many decades later it is. They
give me strength to speak my truth. They empower me to be proud of the woman
I’ve become.
Coming forward is much more complex than most people can
comprehend. Victims weigh all consequences in their minds when the question of who
to tell hangs in the balance. Will my dad look at me differently? Will they
find out I was drinking? Will people call me a slut even though I said no? Will
he tell everyone at school what I look like underneath my clothes? Will this
affect my career? Sometimes staying silent and suffering alone seems a lot
easier when the questions begin to run through our minds.
In short, there was a time in my life when these comments
filled me with anger. And while it still ignites a passion deep within me to
defend whichever victim they are blaming today, it saddens me more than
anything. We are in the year 2018, and not only can people still not keep their
hands to themselves, they also seem to think that revealing an intimate,
violent act should be as simple as ordering food off grubhub. The victim
blaming has to stop, whether its questioning the validity of an accusation due
to delayed reporting or interrogating victims about their prior sexual
behaviors. When you take your teenager shopping, do you blame them for breaking
a fragile vase with a sign that says “do not touch” underneath of it? Or do you
blame the vase for being too fragile?
Carol Stojinski
DUCOM 2019
