WOMEN
Sexual-Assault Case Victory Resurrects Painful Encounters
Could I have done more to fight back?
An 80-year-old woman endured years of legal actions and personal attacks to hold a powerful man accountable for a decades-old sexual assault and defamation.
The $83.3-million award to journalist and author E. Jean Carroll against former president Donald Trump is worth cheering, especially by women who experience unwanted sexual aggression. That Trump, running again for president, was punished by a mostly male jury is also satisfying.
Yet Carroll’s victory has caused me to question if I should have — or could have — handled things differently when enduring what many consider a routine risk of womanhood.
Carroll, a former advice columnist for Elle for 27 years, described herself as part of “the silent generation.” As she told The New York Times: “Women like me were taught and trained to keep our chins up and not complain.”
Growing up a decade later, I felt I did have the right to complain, but was unclear who to tell so it would make any difference. No #MeToo movement then.
I can still recall the frustration of being unable to free myself while pinned down by a neighborhood boy. He had invited me to watch TV with him after…
