Broken Silence is Deafening
This week, #TimesUp for Larry Nassar
The dozens of young women assaulted by Larry Nassar (especially Rachael Denhollander, whose courage instigated it all) and Judge Aquilina, who sentenced him, have been on my mind this past week.
The heart-breaking and gut-wrenching testimonies that 156 women provided was yet another reminder of the systemic entrenchment of sexual assault and harassment. It is appalling that Jerry Sandusky’s abuse and Joe Paterno’s complicity were not a sufficient enough wake-up call, and Nassar’s situation is grotesquely similar — over a dozen officials enabled his heinous behavior. It is clear that where some universities will indeed take a closer look at Title IX complaints, others will likely continue to turn a blind eye in pursuit of prestige.
And then there is Judge Aquilina, who is being heralded for originating a new form of justice, allowing each victim to confront their abuser and individually acknowledging the power of their testimony. Yet, it didn’t take long for her to be described as “histrionic” and accused of “judicial grandstanding”, criticisms that a male judge would likely never receive. The irony of the sexism against Judge Aquilina against the background of dozens of sexual assault victims is simply astounding.
However, she made one misstep that clearly stemmed from her disgust for Nassar — she declared “If the U.S. Constitution didn’t forbid cruel and unusual punishment … I would allow someone or many people to do to him what he did to others.” While it is impossible to imagine any type of justice that would level the score between Nassar and his victims, it is integral that we do not lose our humanity as we consider the monstrosity of Nassar and his ilk.
Still, the humiliation, pain, and loss that Rachael Denhollander endured by making her story public and the extent to which she prepared for being disbelieved drives home that WE MUST BELIEVE WOMEN, even when it forces us to question what we know and trust.
Dive deeper into #MeToo with …
- … this Op-Ed in Newsweek by my incredible friend, colleague, and mentor Dr. Sarah Myhre: When Will Science Get Its #MeToo movement? We need to effect structural change within science in order to progress towards equity, inclusion, and diversity.
- … my favorite podcast discovery thus far in 2018 is Still Processing. This week’s episode draws a connective thread between the anger that underlies Ed Sheeran’s omission from Grammy nominations and the nuanced discussion that has emerged from the Aziz Ansari debacle.
- … another fabulous episode of the It’s Been a Minute podcast, this time discussing the #MeToo movement in politics from Anita Hill to Al Franken.
- … Ke$ha’s emotional Grammy’s performance of ‘Praying’ & Janelle Monáe’s amazing introduction.
You Should Also Check Out…
- … Childish Gambino’s incredible performance of ‘Terrified’ at the Grammy’s: http://ew.com/awards/2018/01/28/grammys-2018-childish-gambino-performance/
- … how Cape Town, South Africa is coping with being the first major metropolitan area to run out of water.
- … this important piece on enacting systemic change vs. diversity initiatives: Diversity is a Dangerous Set-Up written by Dr. Chanda Prescod-Weinstein.
- … a prescient movement from the 1970s: Science for the People was a “radical” group dedicated to demonstrating that science and politics are intertwined — particularly in terms of war/military research.
- … the first cloned primates (macaques) using a modified version of the technique used to clone Dolly the Sheep. This Futurism piece considers the implications for human cloning.
- … how the Indy Star piece that first outed Nassar as a serial sexual predator is evidence of the importance of local investigative journalism.
