Amid President Trump and Republicans questioning Christine Blasey Ford’s remembrance of the alleged sexual assault, but not the exact details of when, women have come out sharing their vulnerable selves and accounts of assault to support Ford.
They aim to take down the ignorance of powerful white misogynistic men who ignore the repercussions of trauma, and are still pushing Brett Kavanaugh’s confirmation.
Journalist Connie Chung wrote an op-ed directly to Ford, sharing her own sexual assault 50 years ago by her trusted OB-GYN.
“What made this monster even more reprehensible was that he was the very doctor who delivered me on Aug. 20, 1946,” Chung wrote.
She even asked Ford if she could sleep at night, because just telling her story now, Chung couldn’t sleep or eat.
She wrote in The Washington Post:
“He coached me verbally in a soft voice, ‘Just breathe. ‘Ah-ah,’ mimicking the sound of soft breathing. ‘You’re doing fine,’ he assured me.
“Suddenly, to my shock, I had an orgasm for the first time in my life. My body jerked several times. Then he leaned over, kissed me, a peck on my lips, and slipped behind the curtain to his office area.
“At the time, I think I may have told one of my sisters. I certainly did not tell my parents. I did not report him to authorities.
“It never crossed my mind to protect other women. Please understand, I was actually embarrassed about my sexual naivete. I was in my 20s and knew nothing about sex. All I wanted to do was bury the incident in my mind and protect my family.”
Chung added, “I have kept my dirty little secret to myself. Silence for five decades.”
More than 70 percent of instances of sexual violence are committed by someone the victim knows. Over 80 percent of women (and 35 percent of men) report short and long term symptoms of PTSD after an attack.
Chung, too, said she couldn’t remember exact dates, but “We remember exactly what happened to us and who did it to us. We remember the truth forever. Bravo, Christine, for telling the truth.”
Chung said she was worried that, after sharing her story, it would change her legacy: “Will my legacy as a television journalist for 30-plus years be relegated to a footnote Will “She Too” be etched on my tombstone instead I don’t want to tell the truth. I must tell the truth.”
Patti Davis, the author and daughter of President Ronald Reagan, also came forward with her own story of sexual assault she said happened 40 years ago.
Davis addressed why women are reluctant to report sexual assault.
“Requesting an investigation into the incident isn’t a big ask. Unless they just want her to go away. Which is, by the way, one reason that women are scared to speak up,” Davis said.
