Kavanaugh hearing spurs sex crimes victims to come forward, including Utah congressional candidate

Shireen Ghorbani, a Democratic candidate for U.S. House in Utah, attends a rally protesting U.S. Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh, in Salt Lake City, Utah, Sept. 28, 2018. Ghorbani recently went public with her sexual assault as an 8-year-old. | Associated Press photo by Rick Bowmer, St. George News

NEW YORK (AP) — The high-profile airing of sexual assault allegations against Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh has led victims around the country to flood support center lines with calls, come forward with reports of rapes and publicly share long-held stories of their own experiences of being attacked.

For many who had stifled painful memories for years, hearing Christine Blasey Ford share her accusation against Kavanaugh reopened old wounds. For others dealing with a recent experience of assault, it has spurred them to report the crimes or seek counseling or other help.

“Having this in the news all the time has flipped their lives upside down,” said Kristen Houlton Shaw, executive director of the Sexual Violence Center in Minnesota, where the number of first-time callers has increased in the past week. “So many different things can trigger people, and this time it’s the news.”

Among those who have come forward include women in public service roles.

Shireen Ghorbani, a candidate for a U.S. House seat in Utah, went public with her sexual assault as an 8-year-old. The majority leader of the New Jersey Assembly, 83-year-old Loretta Weinberg, revealed she was groped and forcibly kissed by a man when she was just 13. And in Palo Alto, where Ford lives, Mayor Liz Kniss said she was inspired by her constituent to publicly speak about the two times she was sexually assaulted and narrowly escaped rape.

Kavanaugh has denied any wrongdoing and gave an impassioned defense of himself at a Senate hearing Thursday. It was Ford’s words, though, that resonated with many who survived an assault and were stirred by testimony recounting terror they understood lasts a lifetime.

“It’s a real mixed bag and a real mix of emotions about both the power of this moment and the pain,” said Jess Davidson, who leads the advocacy group End Rape on Campus and said she has heard from many survivors of sexual assault in recent days who are sharing their stories for the first time. “I don’t think there’s any way we walk away from the conversation that our country is having this week without seeing a shift.”

At the Our Voice rape crisis center in Asheville, North Carolina, executive director Angelica Wind estimated a 15 percent increase in calls from both survivors who were triggered by Ford’s testimony and loved ones seeking advice on how to best support victims they know.

Wind said if the national conversation in coming weeks is supportive of Ford, more people might come forward, encouraged by a case in which an accuser is believed. But if not, many won’t see the point in airing their stories.

“We’re at a crossroads. We can either move forward and do a cultural change where we send a message to survivors that we are here for you. We believe you. It wasn’t your fault and there are resources you can access,” she said. “Or we can move back to dismantle all the progress we have done.”

At TurnAround, which supports sexual assault victims in and around Baltimore, CEO Rosalyn Branson said a help line that typically gets two or three calls overnight got 11 on Thursday, specifically citing the Kavanaugh case. Some were people who had never told anyone of their assaults before.

“They felt the need to talk to someone about what they’d been through in a way they hadn’t before,” Branson said. “I can’t imagine that there’s any place that it’s not happening. We’re all experiencing this together and there are many, many people, more than anyone knows, who have been through it.”

Across the U.S., advocates already seeing a growth in demand as the #MeToo movement has sent out ripples, saw an even greater spike with Kavanaugh.

In California, YWCA crisis intervention manager Alexandra Richardson said centers in San Jose and Sunnyvale experienced a surge in calls to 24-hour support lines, some from people talking for the first time about sexual assaults from as many as two decades ago.

At Safe Horizon in New York, call volume to its rape and sexual assault hotline was up 150 percent Thursday over the same day last year. On Friday, calls were up a staggering 500 percent. Kia Myrie-Edwards, the director of the hotline, said many of the callers were women over 60 who said watching the Kavanaugh hearing made them recall things that happened to them years ago that they may not have thought of as sexual assault at the time.

Sharon Daugherty, the sexual assault outreach coordinator at Palm Beach County Victim Services in Florida, said 17 women had come in to undergo examinations for attacks in the past 10 days, far more than usual. She believes victims are being encouraged by the national debate.

We’re not going to change the whole world in one setting, but the level of conversation has been risen,” Daugherty said.

The National Sexual Assault Hotline reported a 201 percent increase in calls Thursday over its average level. RAINN, the organization that runs the hotline, warned on Twitter that “hearing about sexual violence in the media can be very difficult for survivors.”

The organization’s online chat services were still experiencing “unprecedented wait times” on Friday.

The Kavanaugh coverage has prompted some victims to talk about their own stories of abuse for the first time, sometimes in hushed conversations with a friend, others in a Facebook post. For some public figures, it was done in very high-profile ways.

Patti Davis, the daughter of the late President Ronald Reagan, came to Ford’s defense last week by revealing her own rape by a music executive. Like Ford, she said, she couldn’t remember what month the attack took place, what her assailant might have said to her, or if his assistant was still in the office.

Your memory snaps photos of the details that will haunt you forever, that will change your life and live under your skin,” she wrote in The Washington Post, defending Ford’s inability to remember some details of her alleged attack. “It blacks out other parts of that story that really don’t matter much.”

Written by MATT SEDENSKY and AMY FORLITI, Associated Press. Forliti reported from Minneapolis. Contributing were Associated Press writers Brady McCombs in Salt Lake City; Olga Rodriguez in San Francisco; Karen Matthews in New York; and Mary Esch in Albany, New York.

Email: [email protected]

Twitter: @STGnews

Copyright 2018 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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52 Comments

  • NickDanger September 30, 2018 at 8:19 pm

    Sorry but I’m just not drinking all this sexual assault kool-aid. I know there are rapists. I imagine that if prostitution is the oldest profession, rape is probably the oldest crime on the books.

    But I’m getting pretty tired of all this “rape culture” garbage. I grew up in Middle America. Know how many rapes took place throughout my entire 2 decades of education? None. Zero. Throughout my adult life in the workplace? Zip. Squat. I’ve known thousands of guys and not a single one of them are rapists.

    Now, if you want to twist meanings of words and start calling things rape that aren’t rape, then you’ve got a problem on your hands from people like me. Apparently, now, if a woman has too much to drink and then has consensual sex (most likely with a guy who’s had too much to drink as well), that’s rape. No it isn’t.

    Apparently, now, if a guy touches a woman on the arm and it makes her “uncomfortable,” that’s rape. No it isn’t.

    Apparently, now, if a guy asks a woman out on a date and she doesn’t want to go, that’s sexual harassment. No it isn’t.

    Apparently, now, if a guy makes a comment that a woman doesn’t like, that’s sexual harassment. No it isn’t.

    I’m seriously considering starting the #NOITISNT Movement. And a lot of other guys, just like me, who are well aware that we do NOT have a culture in which actual RAPE is condoned or overlooked or even particularly common, are talking in a similar vein. Yes, we have those conversations, on the golf course, in the clubhouse, in the locker room, etc. And we are disturbed by a frightening trend of demonizing men – particularly white men.

    Now, you women who want to “empower” yourselves at our expense, feel free to continue. But when the backlash comes, don’t act as if you weren’t warned. We’re not all rapists, we’re not mostly rapists, we’re not even 1 out of 100 rapists. The percentage of men who are actually rapists is infinitesimal, and we know this.

    Not really sure why so many men play along with this crap as if it’s real. But I for one am not compromising. Rape is rape. Nothing else is rape. Sexual harassment – if that’s even a thing – is not some guy asking some girl out on a date for the 3rd time. And none of this garbage is common or part of the culture, it’s simply being exploited by a liberal media with very little real racism on their hands to write about anymore.

    Be very, very careful, ladies. You do not want the NOITISNT Movement to become reality. If you think you’re second-class citizens now, just wait until the most vigorous demographic in the history of the planet – American white males – organize against YOU. It’s coming if you don’t settle down, some of us are just…about…ready…to bring this little game to an end.

    • mshaw October 1, 2018 at 6:41 am

      I’ll support the movement

    • ladybugavenger October 1, 2018 at 10:04 am

      I agree with you NickDanger. I will be part of your movement.

    • Chris October 1, 2018 at 10:08 am

      something tells me you don’t do well with women.

      • NickDanger October 1, 2018 at 10:59 am

        Interesting comment. Now let’s break down why it’s sexist.

        1. It implies that “women” are a single category. Never assume half the population’s gender.

        2. It infers that women do not like men who are decisive and assertive. I am both, as you see.

        3. What is “doing well with women?” is that rape? Sounds like rape TBH.

        4. “Something tells me…?” Does that mean your broad generalization of “women” is simply part of your patriarchal conditioning?

        I’m outraged by your comment, Chris.

        • Red2Blue310 October 1, 2018 at 12:04 pm

          Nick, the one makes a dumb argument and feigns outrage.

      • Real Life October 1, 2018 at 11:26 am

        Something tells me that nobody would do well with that woman.

    • ladybugavenger October 1, 2018 at 11:04 am

      I dont think you should limit the movement to men.

      I’m also a sick and tired of the words “victim blamer”that is used against anyone who questions a claim.

      First of all, there would have to be a victim.

      The only victims are the woman who spoke up when something happened and no one believed them. The rest are opportunists.

      • NickDanger October 1, 2018 at 1:31 pm

        Ladybug, of course you are welcome in the #NOITISNT Movement. The real truth is, 99.9% of men love women.

        The real victims of the #METOO movement are the real victims of rape and sexual assault, drowning beneath an ocean of political and/or financial opportunists, just as you say.

    • Red2Blue310 October 1, 2018 at 11:59 am

      It’s about time men answered for the common misconception that women are asking for it. American white males who join the ignorant mob mentality like you have, need to listen hard – women will not let you act like you own the world anymore. They are in charge, make more money, hold down better jobs, are more educated and can multitask. Next time you feel like sending a threat like “American white males – organize against YOU”, it brings you down further. Women are your equals, knuckle dragging neanderthal, not subservient.

      • Redbud October 1, 2018 at 8:22 pm

        If a woman decides to get drunk at a party in college, and dress like a skank-whore, then yes.. she is asking for it. I have no sympathy for whatever happens to them, nor should anyone else.

    • Red2Blue310 October 1, 2018 at 12:08 pm

      Hey Nick, you say, ” I’ve known thousands of guys and not a single one of them are rapists.” Do you really think the ones that have done that drunk would confide that to you? YOU are not believable, Hon.

      • NickDanger October 1, 2018 at 1:48 pm

        “Do you really think the ones that have done that drunk would confide that to you?”

        Maybe. Among ourselves we do discuss our sexual conquests.

        But what I do really think, Red, is that I know what rape is, and you don’t.

      • Redbud October 1, 2018 at 8:23 pm

        Red2blue, I’d believe Nick over some fake person like you any day!

    • sheepobserver October 1, 2018 at 4:49 pm

      That’s right! Dominate the submissive into submission! It really is telling as to your personality in general.

      Why don’t you explain what rape is in detail to us, since you seem to be an expert at it.

      From what I’ve seen dominant types, or authority figures turn out to be the majority of the rapists.
      nick seems to be both.

      Let’s see how you take me down a notch or two…………

      • sheepobserver October 1, 2018 at 5:07 pm

        That’s right! Dominate the submissive into submission! It really is telling as to your personality in general.

        Why don’t you explain what rape is in detail to us, since you seem to be an expert at it.

        From what I’ve seen dominant types, or authority figures turn out to be the majority of the rapists.
        nick seems to be both.

        Let’s see how you take me down a notch or two…………

        my bad, I just saw what your definition is,

        What is “rape?” Rape is easily defined. For as long as I’ve been alive, it’s meant a man physically forcing himself on a woman. And rape – actual rape – is a great evil. But now, a woman who goes out and has too much to drink, then wakes up naked next to some guy in bed, has been raped. Really? Could you downgrade the value of personal responsibility any more than that? A woman who chooses to have sex with a man in order to advance her career apparently isn’t whoring herself out for personal gain. She was raped. In some cases, a woman who has already given consent but then suddenly changes her mind mid-coitus was somehow “raped.” It’s all balderdash and poppycock.”

        So if a woman passes out before consent, it’s not rape? I mean, I’ve drank a lot, and passed out. If some guy happened upon me and stuck it in, would that not be rape because I was passed out drunk?
        If a woman passes out, she’s totally fair game? Is that your argument? You and Bill Cosby should hang out some time.
        So I guess by your logic if you get a woman to drink enough, and she passes out next to you, you can have sex with her?
        That doesn’t seem to be morally acceptable, but hey, you are the expert on rape, so I guess you’ll explain to me why it’s totally okay to stick it in if a woman goes out drinking with a guy.
        If you, for instance went out drinking with your friend, and you were both having a great time, and you drank too much and passed out…..I guess you’d be totally okay with him having sex with you while you were out of it? That’s only logical, so I guess that wouldn’t be rape to you either since rape is only between a man and woman? Not to mention you must have wanted it since you went out drinking with your friend anyway.

        To put it as plainly as I can.

        You’re dumb, although you do have a way with manipulating words…….

  • Jeannette October 1, 2018 at 12:18 am

    Aggression is a play for power and has long been an issue between men and women. It was only this last century that women were able to break from the roll of being “childlike, property, and protected by men.”  I believe we have come quite a ways through these many years.

    Having violence played out against you is not fun, I believe official statistics have the percentages of women experiencing physical or sexual abuse at about 48%. I was surprised when I saw that, I thought it would be much higher.

    It is difficult to struggle with all the feelings of being abused or violated. Like a lot of women, I’ve experienced sexual and physical abuse; however, I feel that what has happened recently with Judge Cavanaugh has been nothing short of a circus as well as an Injustice played out against Judge Kavenaugh by the liberals led by Diane Feinstein as delay and anti-Trump tactics. Both the PhD and the Judge were victims of this play.

    I heard women on TV crying out that they’ve been abused, and they want the justice for their abuse through renouncing Judge Cavanaugh. It doesn’t make sense.  Is he to be the sacrificial lamb on behalf of all abused women?  Will this help those abused feel better?

    It’s clear that a national discussion on the treatment of girls, women, and men for that matter needs to have a forum.  But let’s not do it in the arena of a public political forum.
    The subject deserves to be heard within the halls of proper decorum and with the serious attention the subject deserves. 

    • Anejo October 1, 2018 at 11:01 am

      [ Jeanette: It’s clear that a national discussion on the treatment of girls, women, and men for that matter needs to have a forum. But let’s not do it in the arena of a public political forum.
      The subject deserves to be heard within the halls of proper decorum and with the serious attention the subject deserves. ]

      I fully agree with you here Jeanette. The problem with recent events is that the allegation has been weaponized for the political purposes. By a woman too, at least initially.

      How do we go about fixing a culture where sexual assault has become “locker room banter?”

      Personally, I believe we have to start by nurturing a culture where we encourage victims to come forward so that allegations can be given the processing they deserve. If the staggering figure of unreported assaults is true then we have to start there and find, and ultimately remove, the obstacles that dissuade victims to come forward. I understand that these heinous assaults are deeply troubling and that some victims don’t want to relive the crime but without having some kind of framework where this can be investigated properly unreported crimes will continue to skew the figures and justice will not even be attempted to be served.

      Where do we start?

    • Red2Blue310 October 1, 2018 at 12:35 pm

      Jeannette, your comment: “I heard women on TV crying out that they’ve been abused, and they want the justice for their abuse through renouncing Judge Cavanaugh. It doesn’t make sense. Is he to be the sacrificial lamb on behalf of all abused women? Will this help those abused feel better?” means you didn’t understand what was happening, calling Kavanaugh a sacrificial lamb, like he’s sacred. Those women, like millions of others, are arising to tell their stories for their daughters in the workplace, college and daily life. Aren’t you getting tired of perverts like Trump running the country? Just because Kavanaugh says he didn’t do it, doesn’t mean he didn’t. He”ll say anything to save his sorry ass. Other women who knew him said he was a hard partier and drunk. Look at Trump, the liar, cheat, pervert who raw dogged a porn star, paid her off so his pregnant wife wouldn’t know. Women deserve to get out from under men’s physical abuse and disrespect, no matter who. And you as a woman should understand certain men in power can act like disgusting pigs and get away with it. Women are no longer just “attractive” but deserve to be heard. And so far discussion hasn’t done much for your attitudes, now has it. #metoo and #timesup

    • NickDanger October 1, 2018 at 1:14 pm

      The current movement is not the beginning of a discussion. It’s an effort to re-write history.

      I’ll explain. Let’s say I’m just fine with the government redefining “sexual abuse” to include an unsolicited touch on the arm, or some other common and quite innocent human interaction. I’m not just fine with that, but let’s pretend I am. Even so, I would never be okay with redefining the law and then RETROACTIVELY destroying the lives of every man who’s ever touched a woman on the arm.

      That is the essence of the #METOO movement – the Orwellian redefining of words and the retroactive persecution of those who still live by the old definitions.

      For example, what is “consent?” Well, in my day (the 80’s), it had no real definition, you just kinda had to know it when you saw it. We didn’t talk about consent. Back then, we still acknowledged the reality that sometimes when a girl says No she actually DOES mean Yes. And I don’t mean that only men acknowledged that, I mean everyone acknowledged it. A girl who said Yes right away was considered loose, so they all said No first. This fact was revealed to my by…wait for it…girls. Now, of course, “consent” means the woman saying “Yes you may have sex with me now.” How romantic!

      What is “rape?” Rape is easily defined. For as long as I’ve been alive, it’s meant a man physically forcing himself on a woman. And rape – actual rape – is a great evil. But now, a woman who goes out and has too much to drink, then wakes up naked next to some guy in bed, has been raped. Really? Could you downgrade the value of personal responsibility any more than that? A woman who chooses to have sex with a man in order to advance her career apparently isn’t whoring herself out for personal gain. She was raped. In some cases, a woman who has already given consent but then suddenly changes her mind mid-coitus was somehow “raped.” It’s all balderdash and poppycock.

      The media now uses the terms “sexual harassment,” “sexual abuse,” and “sexual assault” interchangeably – even though the words “harassment,” “abuse,” and “assault” mean completely different things. Oh well, as long as they get the “sexual” part in there it will make a splashy headline.

      “Mansplaining” is a new word altogether, one which apparently means a man trying to explain anything to a woman. Should the man apologize beforehand? “I know I’m about to explain something to you, but please don’t take offense.”

      And through all of this arbitrary destruction of language and invention of ugly words to achieve some unknown power paradigm with men, women have utterly failed to account for the fact that the traditional sexual interaction between the two genders, which has existed pretty much in the same form for thousands of years, is necessary for the survival of our entire species. Bit short-sighted, IMO, but maybe that’s just me.

      What this movement is selling is fear. Women are eating it up, because it’s making men afraid of them for pretty much the first time in history – afraid of saying the wrong thing, of making the wrong move at the wrong time, of hooking up with a girl who says Yes but will later claim she said No, and so on and on.

      The end result of all this is going to be catastrophic. Consider men’s relationship with children now. I love children. I like to play with them, talk to them, hear their cute little voices explaining their wide-eyed perspectives on life. But it’s been years since I’ve dared be around any children. If I see a child in public, I make sure to give about 10 feet of clearance, lest I be accused of being some kind of pervert. Why? Because the liberal media sold the public on the idea that all men are potential child molesters, in the exact same way they’re now selling us the idea that all men are potential rapists. Speaking of which, Jeannette, your statistic – 48% of women have been physically or sexually abused – is quite misleading. You simply cannot lump physical and sexual abuse into the same category, MANY more women have been physically abused than sexually abused.

      Why is that relevant? Because men are physically abused as well. Do you know how many times I got beat up as a kid? Of course you don’t, and neither do I because it’s too many to remember. But us boys take our beatings and move on because that’s life. You might say, “Men are physically stronger than women so it’s not the same thing.” It’s the exact same thing, because the kids who beat me up were (obviously) physically stronger than me. And just like a woman who takes a beating, a man who takes one has decisions to make. It’s the decisions you make after the beating that determine whether you’re a victim or not.

      So you know, ladies (I’m assuming you’re a lady, Anejo, because you used the word “nurturing”), yes, a conversation is in order. But not a conversation with one party looking down the barrel of a gun and the other with her finger on the trigger.

      This current movement is poison to our society, and it needs to stop. We men will get around to stopping it eventually if we must – after all, if women are correct, we hold all the power, right?

      THEN we can talk. But right now, you are the enemy. That may not be your choice, but it is the media’s choice, the media rules public opinion, and it’s women who are playing right into their nasty little agenda. So tighten up, ladies, and end this war on men. Because if we have to end it, it’s going to get ugly.

      • Red2Blue310 October 1, 2018 at 3:28 pm

        This is not just about the act of rape, Nick neanderthal. Its about men not taking seriously the complaints of women. Rape is not a pearl clutching moment, its real, it happens and when it does people like you dont want to hear about it but dismiss it as incredible. Your argument is no longer valid. Neither are you. You are just another invalid man who needs to grow up.

        • Redbud October 1, 2018 at 8:35 pm

          Red2blue, you are correct in saying it’s real when it happens, but when it doesn’t happen, it’s FAKE, like you! How would you like to be falsely accused of a crime, then desperately attempt to defend yourself, and no one believes a single word you say? You’d get a dose of karma real quick when you are on the receiving end of it.

      • Anejo October 1, 2018 at 3:47 pm

        [ NickDanger: So you know, ladies (I’m assuming you’re a lady, Anejo, because you used the word “nurturing”), yes, a conversation is in order. But not a conversation with one party looking down the barrel of a gun and the other with her finger on the trigger. ]

        No one is forcing anyone at gunpoint, Nick. A national conversation of attitudes to sexual assault has to happen and it will happen. I’m assuming you haven’t read any of my other comments on BK but I’ll spare you the search. I believe he is innocent until proven otherwise. I’m also assuming you haven’t read any of my comments on the Democrats either but I’ll spare you the search by repeating that they’ve embarrassingly handled this situation by using it as a political football and it’s clear that any kind of justice for the alleged victim wasn’t part of their script.

        [ NickDanger: Let’s say I’m just fine with the government redefining “sexual abuse” to include an unsolicited touch on the arm, or some other common and quite innocent human interaction. I’m not just fine with that, but let’s pretend I am. Even so, I would never be okay with redefining the law and then RETROACTIVELY destroying the lives of every man who’s ever touched a woman on the arm. ]

        No one is trying to redefine sexual abuse as an unsolicited touch on the arm. However, if one understands the concept of “unsolicited” then maybe one should reflect on that before doing it anyway.

        [ NickDanger: For example, what is “consent?” ]

        In this context, it’s the opposite of “unsolicited”

        [ NickDanger: You simply cannot lump physical and sexual abuse into the same category, MANY more women have been physically abused than sexually abused. ]

        According to the Bureau Of Justice Statistics ( https://www.nij.gov/topics/crime/rape-sexual-violence/Pages/rape-notification.aspx#note3 ), the majority of rapes and sexual assaults perpetrated against women weren’t reported to the authorities. Only 36% of rapes were reported. 34% of attempted rape and 26% of sexual assaults. The whole point of the comments in this thread was to understand why this is the case and to attempt to redress the balance.

        Do you think that is acceptable in 2018? If not, why?

        [ NickDanger: Because men are physically abused as well. ]

        Agreed. Sexually abused too, and are statistically far less likely to come forward to report the crime. This also requires a national discussion as to why and how to end the stigma attached to it.

        Do you think that is acceptable in 2018? If not, why?

        [ NickDanger: THEN we can talk. But right now, you are the enemy. ]

        The whole debate in this comments section is about redressing the balance of underreported sexual violence in a society that tries to redefine words like “consent” and “unsolicited.” Your rant, while indeed colorful, changes nothing.

        This is happening now and you do not get to dictate the terms on which it will move forward.

  • Mike P October 1, 2018 at 12:17 pm

    Yep. EVERY SINGLE ONE OF US that’s tried to “cop a little feel” while kissing our girlfriend when on a date is now guilty of attempted rape. So, basically the current “movement” feels all straight men should be in jail

    • ladybugavenger October 1, 2018 at 3:06 pm

      It has become ridiculous

    • bikeandfish October 1, 2018 at 3:32 pm

      And that is an outright lie. That’s not rape. Could it be assault? Maybe, depends on details. But the term cop a feel was definitely used, and remains so, as something men do to women not with them. Hence its problematic usage.

      If you meant being sexual with someone else with their consent than use the right language.

      And no one is calling for every man to be in jail. Look at #metoo. Who has gone to jail? One person so far and hopefully Weinstein at some point. Did Luis CK go to jail? No. A handful of abusers and asssulters have lost jobs because they did the abuse in the workplace. Seems like a reasonable consequence.

      But remember, a few men being consequenced means we want all men to go to jail. Talk about illogical.

      • Real Life October 1, 2018 at 4:01 pm

        Yeah, well how are those who have been accused doing right now? Some falsely by the way. Not so good. Many are shunned and out of work. It’s a dangerous two way street, that’s all.

        • bikeandfish October 1, 2018 at 5:21 pm

          Who was falsely accussed in the public side of the #metoo movement?

          • Real Life October 1, 2018 at 6:07 pm

            Steve Wynn, Ryan Seacrest, Aziz Ansari, Harold Ford Jr. Just to name a few.

          • bikeandfish October 1, 2018 at 7:13 pm

            Actually Aziz admitted to the behavior. What she describes fits the definition of assault.

            I haven’t seen a viable refutation of the claims against Wynn and he voluntarily stepped down. Even the AP has one suits Wynn tried to bring against them.

            My understanding is most companies stood behind Ryan Seacrest and he hasn’t felt much in the wsy of blowback. Nor have the accusations been proven false.

            Don’t know who Harold Ford Jr is.

  • bikeandfish October 1, 2018 at 3:03 pm

    NickDanger is back in force with his -isms. Now women who support #Metoo are the enemy and its all about the poor menz having to worry about consent. Last year it was the inherent racism of white flight and fear mongering about immigration.

    And LBA is back with her victim blaming. Because in her view if you drink at a party you deserve to pinned down against your will, have your mouth forcibly closed and someone attempt to remove your clothes, ie sexual assault.

    And then another user doesn’t see the problem associated with “copping a feel”. We’ll give you a hint: a woman that wants your advancements doesn’t need you to cop a feel.

    Welcome to rape culture. But remember, poor menz.

    • ladybugavenger October 1, 2018 at 3:07 pm

      And my point is proven.

      • ladybugavenger October 1, 2018 at 3:10 pm

        Ladybug takes a bow, drops mic, and exits stage left.

        • Red2Blue310 October 1, 2018 at 3:30 pm

          How delusional you sound.

      • bikeandfish October 1, 2018 at 3:26 pm

        You are a victim blamer. Its a simple definition. If you believe the victim is responsible for the actions of the aggressor than you are a victim blamer.

        You have constantly shown absolutely no curiosity or empathy for victims of sexual assault over the last 18 months. None. I don’t know a single victim who could meet your ridiculously high definition of legimate rape and assault. You know why? Because it assault and rape don’t fit into your narrow definition. More often than not, its done by friends or family. People who know how to take advantage of the victim.

        I’ll call out your inhumane and unethical comments whenever you make them. Show some empathy and concern for victims and I’ll change my criticism.

        • ladybugavenger October 1, 2018 at 3:52 pm

          You made me pick up my mic!

          I’m happy the cosby accusers got that bastard! He was a bad bad man. Drugging woman and all the bad things he did.

          This Ford lady is not a victim.

          You can criticize me and I dont care if you change your mind or not. Your opinion of me does not in any way affect my life. Nor could your opinion of me, based on 1,000 characters, have any meaning.

          You are just sitting here name calling me , you have an infactusyion with my comments for a long time, and I’m not even talking about you and you were not in Ford or Kavanaugh’s high school.

          I would prefer you not commenting to me or about me. I find you despicable, I dont like you, i have never liked you,, and I dont like you addressing me. If I could block you, I would. What is my only choice St George news, to leave and not comment because b&f is going to come at me with false accusations. Then so be it, I’ll leave.

          • bikeandfish October 1, 2018 at 5:19 pm

            What are the false allegations?

            I can an will Google your other comments regarding sexual assault victims.

            By the way, Cosby was convincted with little to no evidence beyond plaintiff testimony.

  • ladybugavenger October 1, 2018 at 6:09 pm

    This is some of what you have said to me:

    1. You are a victim blamer
    2.You have constantly shown absolutely no curiosity or empathy for victims of sexual assault over the last 18 months.
    3. I don’t know a single victim who could meet your ridiculously high definition of legimate rape and assault

    1.Shes not a victim *last year we empowered people to not be victims but to be victors.
    2. I will never meet your definition of empathy.
    3. By your definition I have been sexually assaulted a dozen times and raped twice (unfortunately, not by anyone in power or with money, right?)

    Leave me alone!

    • bikeandfish October 1, 2018 at 7:06 pm

      Sorry to hear you have been victimized; so have many people.

      My definition doesn’t make anyone more a victim; the actions of abusers and asssulters do that.

      I did make those allegations but I don’t see how they are false.

      Stop posting ideas that can be challenged on public forum and I’ll stop engaging you. Until then know public ideas and statements are fair game for scrutiny.

      • ladybugavenger October 1, 2018 at 10:21 pm

        Lol. I dont need your pity.

        I cant stand you

        • bikeandfish October 2, 2018 at 9:36 am

          Interesting response. Given your self-proclaimed religion you present alot of hate for others. Its ironic as I fully disagree with your statements and find your behavior here hypocritical when compared to your vocalized religious ideals but have absolutely zero feelings about you as a person.

      • ladybugavenger October 1, 2018 at 10:29 pm

        I’m sure I sexually assaulted a few men back in the day. That’s what we did. Slapped that butt lol it was the 80’s and 90’s I even kissed a guy without his permission. But that’s what we did back then. Good times. And now I must apologize to the men I victimized. I’m sorry if what I did affected you for the rest of your lives.

        • bikeandfish October 2, 2018 at 9:43 am

          So are you saying you were assaulted or not? Have you actually assaulted others? And not by some false equivalence and projection of my supposed definition but by a real one.

          Do you know what consent means? I’ll give you a clue, its a complicated situation. Look to my response about “copping a feel”.

          It seems to me the only ones making a mockery of sexual assault, abuse and rape are the ones like you and Nick Danger who seem to intentionally not take the issue seriously and want to conflate/exaggerate the issues. You both do it differently. He turns everything into a discussion about men, by default white men when you read his other comments and who he generically respects. Yours is classic victim blaming, pure and simple.

          For once you migh

  • Redbud October 1, 2018 at 7:43 pm

    Fords accusations are completely false, and all the libbys have taken the bait. I feel bad for women who were actually raped or assaulted, and I believe they do deserve justice, but Ford is just a complete FAKE!

    • bikeandfish October 1, 2018 at 8:42 pm

      How do you know they are false?

      • Redbud October 2, 2018 at 3:54 pm

        Very simple, she hasn’t proven him guilty yet. She has presented no credible evidence.

        • bikeandfish October 2, 2018 at 4:45 pm

          That doesn’t make them false, at the moment it makes them unsubstantiated. A lack of cooperating evidence doesn’t mean allegations are false.

          • bikeandfish October 2, 2018 at 4:46 pm

            *corroborating

        • bikeandfish October 2, 2018 at 4:47 pm

          Plus, to repeat, plaintiff testimony is evidence and often the only evidence in rape or assault cases.

          • Redbud October 2, 2018 at 5:30 pm

            The accusations are completely false. You can continue with your ignorance. If Kavanaugh was a Democrat, you know you’d be on here defending him instead of assuming he’s guilty.

          • bikeandfish October 2, 2018 at 7:16 pm

            See, that is a false allegation. You can look back at my history. I supported Al Franken stepping down. I support an independent investigation into Ellison, a true one.

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