It was no surprise that Brett Kavanaugh was voted into the Supreme Court of the United States for a lifetime appointment as a judge. After all, in a country where the sitting president had several allegations of sexual assault and was still elected, why wouldn’t his nominated judge be sworn in? In a society where wealthy rich white men are given whatever they think they are entitled to, not a single aspect of the Kavanaugh spectacle was unexpected.
Kavanaugh did not and does not deserve the position. Christine Blasey Ford’s testimony painted a clear picture of a woman who reluctantly stepped forward, and is still being exposed to all sorts of hatred to prevent her alleged assailant’s rise to the highest court of the United States.
Kavanaugh’s testimony displayed either guilt or a selfish, spoiled temperament that does not belong on that court. Despite claims of his supporters—including U.S. president Donald Trump, U.S. senator Mitch McConnell, and several conservative media outlets—the hearing was not a witch hunt. Nor was it a trial. Ford did not have to present evidence beyond reasonable doubt as she would have had to in a trial to be fully believed.
It should suffice to say that Kavanaugh will leave a legacy of anti-minority laws disguised as conservatism within United States law, and that his supporters will take his confirmation as a sign that their ideals are correct.
Even clearer, Kavanaugh’s confirmation shows the disbelief and the intense scrutiny that our society directs to alleged victims of sexual assault. It shows how, even after forcing victims and survivors to disclose every possible detail of their trauma, a man with power can be protected from justice and be given distinguished positions. The hearing was a magnified look at how powerful men will sacrifice women to support men like them—powerful, privileged men.
The anger and injustice surrounding Kavanaugh’s confirmation in the face of Ford’s testimony is well-deserved. But, there is another legacy to be examined in this situation—one that has nothing to do with privileged, entitled men.
Ford bravely stepped up to give her testimony for hours. She risked her own privacy, her family’s safety, and her life as a private citizen in order to perform a civic duty. She demonstrated all the qualities that people unreasonably expect survivors to have in order to be believed, and still had her worst fear come true.
While Ford’s story could be seen in a cynical light, there is also hope in it. She came forward within the era of #MeToo. The sight of her sitting in the senate hearing, calmly answering every question asked of her, and the unforgettable way she described her most vivid memory of the assault, were powerful, historical moments.
With her stepping forward to testify before the eyes of the world, Ford cemented a new fact for the history books: no longer will victims of entitled men stay silent. No longer will the world be able to sweep these women under the rug.
Her story stands to tell us to believe victims and survivors of assault, and to resist a society that urges us to dismiss them. To resist a societal framework that blames instead of believes and uplifts the victim is to honour Christine Blasey Ford’s legacy.
