About two weeks ago, news broke that Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh had allegedly sexual assaulted Dr. Christine Ford while under the influence of alcohol at a high school party in 1982. Kavanaugh had already been through the required hearings of the Judiciary Committee of the Senate when this event had become public, which caused the committee to reopen the hearings on September 27th. Republicans seem to think this is a tactic to take him and his reputation down, while Democrats feel that he should not even be considered for the seat in the court.

I stand with Ford.

Why? Because I am sick of this wave of sexual assault victims being silenced. Victims are constantly labeled as liars and almost immediately get shut down. It’s time that we open our ears and listen to their stories.

During her testimony, Ford was straightforward with every single answer. Staying calm and collected, she answered every question to as much depth as possible. She didn’t see any reason to dodge any comment thrown at her by the Judiciary Committee. Ford stated that her intentions were not to keep Kavanaugh out of office, but to get the word out. She felt that it was her duty to let the people know about her story.

Dr. Ford put everything on the line for this: her privacy, her career as a professor at both Stanford and Palo Alto, EVERYTHING. Do you really think such an intelligent woman like her would become public about such an issue if she had been lying?

Contrary to her, Judge Kavanaugh exploded at the Senators. He became defensive rather quickly when he was questioned by the committee. He beat around the bush on almost every question. He lashed out in front of everyone, which that alone should not be the behavior of someone who is being considered for a seat in the Supreme Court.  

While it is understandable on why Kavanaugh could be angry, it is the fact that he cannot control his temper and be professional in front of a group of Senators, who are essentially determining his future as a judge.

Separate from this specific situation, sexual assault has become a major issue in our world today. It seems to have become the norm to automatically shut a woman down when they speak out about their experiences. I am absolutely fed up with society believing that it is okay to silence these victims. We are continuously saying we need to put an end to this problem, yet when we hear about something this serious happening, we seem to assume that it is ridiculously out-of-pocket.

It is time we resolve this problem and encourage sexual assault victims to share their stories without being afraid. These issues should be treated with seriousness and responsiveness. Together as a country, we need to support others going through these difficult times.