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Brett Kavanaugh confirmation as U.S. Supreme Court justice a symbol of increasing tensions

This week marked the anniversary of the #Me Too movement. Just a few weeks prior, accused sexual predator Brett Kavanaugh was confirmed to the U.S. Supreme Court.

This week marked the anniversary of the #Me Too movement. Just a few weeks prior, accused sexual predator Brett Kavanaugh was confirmed to the U.S. Supreme Court. A single hashtag kick-started a movement that has grown larger and faster than anyone could have anticipated. Yet, has anything really changed?

The #Me Too movement began with the takedown of one of Hollywood’s biggest predators, Harvey Weinstein. Since, countless perpetrators of sexual harassment and assault have been held accountable.

Meanwhile, millions of survivors have been empowered to speak about their experiences. However, for every Weinstein who is held accountable, there is a Kavanaugh who climbs the power ladder unscathed.

Kavanaugh currently sits in one of the most powerful seats in the world, while his accuser, Dr. Christine Blasey Ford, is forced to hide from the thousands sending her death threats.

In the midst of Kavanaugh’s U.S. Senate confirmation hearing, Sen. Kamala Harris reminded Ford, “You are not on trial. You are sitting here before members of the United States Senate Judiciary Committee because you had the courage to come forward because as you have said, you believe it was your civic duty.”

Whether they are acting out of civic duty, fear or justice, it seems every accuser is treated with the same judgment: that surely, they’re lying.

We could discuss the implications of false accusations; however, it is worth noting that statistically, accusers lie about sexual crimes at the same rate as every other crime. The FBI noted “unfounded rapes” make up only eight per cent of those reported. How often do we assume the victim of a robbery or physical assault is lying? Why, then, are we so quick to assume victims of sexual crime are liars?

I believe it is our societal inability to discuss sexual crime, as well as the intrinsically gendered nature of sexual assault. We do not have the language to discuss healthy sexuality in a way that is not considered taboo. We are therefore hard-pressed to recognize and express when healthy expressions of sexuality become harassment or assault. This is especially true in the LGBTQ+ community, in which those who identify as anything other than heterosexual are far more likely to be victims of sexual assault.

In order to move forward with the momentum of the #Me Too movement in a way that is nuanced and healthy, we should begin with the basics. Parents should be talking to their children about sexuality, and the responsibility that comes with that – to understand boundaries and seek consent.

We should be able to speak to our peers about our experiences without being met with harmful assumptions or defensive excuses for unhealthy behaviours.

Brett Kavanagh is a reminder of increasing tensions, and horrendous misunderstanding of sexual violence at large. It is my hope that we will soon be able to support victims effectively – and hold perpetrators of such violence accountable – through education; we cannot allow ignorance to be an excuse.

Jennifer Hamilton is a local student and writer.

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