The Senate hearings of Brett Kavanaugh have turned into a tale that is now all too familiar for the age of #MeToo. What was once a standard senate appointment for a fairly controversial Supreme Court nominee has now turned into what could only be considered a crisis of culture.
Brett Kavanaugh, a privileged white male, has been accused of sexually assaulting Christine Blasey Ford while the two were both under the influence of alcohol. Ford alleges that during their high school years, a heavily intoxicated Kavanaugh attempted to rape her while his friend kept watch in the room. Ford says that he would have succeeded had she not been able to escape the ghastly situation.
While Judge Kavanaugh vehemently denies these claims, Ford has gone through great lengths to prove her honesty. She has provided notes from a therapist meeting in 2013 where she spoke of the incident, and she passed a polygraph test weeks ago about the issue, after Kavanaugh’s name surfaced as a Supreme Court nominee.
The situation manifesting on Capitol Hill right now is a microcosm of the larger problem of rape culture still infecting college campuses across the nation. Brett Kavanaugh represents the misogynistic college male who believes he is entitled to a woman’s sexuality. Many attempt to excuse the behavior of Kavanaugh because of his judgement being impaired, just as many assaulters before him have used alcohol as an excuse to rationalize their horrific behavior.
Dr. Ford is the embodiment of the college woman who has to live the rest of her life scarred by the trauma of sexual abuse. Her refraining from reporting the act is akin to what we see occur with college students all across the United States. The Bureau of Justice Statistics found that one in five undergraduate females will experience sexual assault. But of students who are sexually assaulted in college, less than 10 percent actually report the abuse.
The similarities become even more striking when we look at the reasons why GOP leaders are ready to dismiss Ford’s allegations. Senator Chuck Grassley released a letter signed by 65 women that praised Kavanaugh’s character. This letter is nothing more than the “he’s a good guy” argument we have seen used repeatedly in cases of sexual violence.
A study conducted by Middlebury College discovered that the reasons why women are reluctant to report sexual violence now are the same as they were 30 years ago. In the case of Dr. Ford and many other victims, the uncertainty of being able to retain their confidentiality is a major obstacle — and for good reason.
Upon coming out with sexual assault story, Dr. Ford has been subjected to rounds of death threats, libelous content, and outright denial of her claims by leaders of the country. Similarly, many college women hesitate in coming out about their stories in fear of being socially ostracized by their peers or worse, having their stories rejected.
The Senate — including North Carolina’s own Senator Thom Tillis, who is on the committee responsible for considering Kavanaugh’s nomination — now has the opportunity to pick one of two sides with their vote. If the Senate decides to confirm his appointment they will be choosing to play the role of the spineless bystander. They will be the ones who hear the story of both the survivor and the perpetrator yet allow Kavanaugh to act with impunity.
Or the Senate can choose to act with morality and play the role of the supporting community. The Senate could affirm Dr. Ford’s experience by giving her access to a fair, timely testimony. Instead of rushing the victim into a testimony where she would likely be unprepared to handle the Republican firing squad, the Senate can put aside their partisanship in order to give Ford enough time to adequately prepare herself, and then actually listen to her story.
In a time where sexual assault has already reached alarming levels of normalization with the election of Donald Trump, now more than ever do we need political leaders to rebuke such vile acts. If not, we may fall deeper into the hole of sexism and misogyny than has run amok in this country for too long.
