One reason many survivors do not report is b/c society has taught us to measure sexual assault w/ a ruler.
I'm going to talk about a couple of factors that have been empirically demonstrated to correlate w/ non-reporting. nyti.ms/2Cy0vgA
2/ After I was raped, I remember thinking that, despite all the evidence that I had been raped, it might not really be rape b/c I was not simultaneously threatened w/ murder.
I also thought it could not really be rape b/c, tho I was strangled, I was not beaten.
3/ These same doubts were echoed by some around me. For example, my boyfriend at the time told me that he had talked to another friend who had been raped. He said, "They broke two of her ribs, so what happened to her was *really* bad."
1/ Writing a thread in response to this Q b/c I have SO many thoughts. I’m going to offer my own responses to the question in the hope that people will be inspired to vote even if they are dissatisfied w/ their immediate choices. Please be respectful to the original tweeter.
2/ I’m going to talk a lot about being a progressive/left-leaner. This means something diff to diff people. When I use this language, I mean that I am socially far-left. I want aggressive action on racial inequality/injustice, LGBTQ rights, women's rights, etc.
3/ Economically, &, w/in the intersection of economic & social justice, I want aggressive taxation & regulation. I want a stronger social safety net. I am not a socialist (there are many ways to be “left” w/o being a socialist). I want radical action to rectify racial inequality
1/ I want people who have not been victimized to watch this video and to sit w/ some truths. Specifically, I want you to really absorb what it means that victims blame themselves.
There's something happening right now that I am not sure I fully know how to talk about, but I want to honor in any case:
Black women are showing a level of unqualified solidarity w/ Dr. Ford that stands in stark contrast to the varied responses of white women.
And this is occurring despite the fact that white women--including white liberal women--so often utterly fail at supporting, amplifying, & defending black women.
It is also occurring in spite of the fact that part of the reason people believe Dr. Ford is particularly credible is b/c she is white.
When the black women I know point this out, they have blamed the system, not Dr. Ford herself.
There's been a lot of empirical research on the fact that even when women *have* been assaulted, they hesitate 2 label the action as "sexual assault" or "rape," for a variety of reasons, incl. blaming themselves for what happened, their assault not fitting a "stereotype," etc.
This is one reason that public health orgs & researchers started measuring sexual assault by asking behaviorally specific Q's, such as, "Has a man held penetrated you w/out your consent. . ." rather than labelling Q's such as "Have you been raped?"
Labelling Q's have been found to *underrepresent* the prevalence of sexual assault & have been rejected by public health orgs & researchers (including the CDC).
1/ People who are framing this moment in history as a “test” of #Metoo are missing a number of fundamental points about the nature of the movement itself, its broader societal impact, &, indeed, how the modern GOP reacts to sexual assault.
2/ #MeToo isn’t being tested. It is showing its strength.
So many of us are not only unified in our outrage, we are talking about sexual assault more openly, & w/ more nuance, than ever before.
We are empowering one another.
3/ This isn’t a test of the #MeToo movement. It is the next stage.
If *anything* is being tested here, it is the GOP & its reaction to both the allegations & our outrage, as well as the party’s nefarious relationship w/ the issue of sexual assault.