#WhyIDidntReport Confessions On Sex Assaults Mushroom In Wake Of Trump Tweet
Celebrities and civilians are continuing to come forward with their own stories on why they did not report sexual assault, a response to President Donald Trump’s questioning on why Christine Blasey Ford did not file a police report regarding her alleged groping by Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh.
Twitter has erupted with #WhyIDidntReport confessions since Trump’s tweet, as Alyssa Milano, Ashley Judd, Padma Lakshmi and others detailed their reasons for silence following incidents.
On Friday, former President Ronald Reagan’s daughter Patti Davis also detailed her assault in a Washington Post op-ed, claiming she was raped by a music executive almost 40 years ago. She also said she didn’t report the incident.
Many of those revealing their personal journeys cited the poor treatment of others who had been more forthcoming.
#MeToo leader Alyssa Milano has shared her own reasons before asking fellow survivors to share their own stories. “I was sexually assaulted twice. Once when I was a teenager. I never filed a police report and it took me 30 years to tell me parents.”
Top Chef host Padma Lakshmi revealed three experiences with sexual assault, and said why she stayed silent each time. Lakshmi said her first encounter happened when she was age seven, and her parents sent her away when she talked to them about it.
Ashley Judd also had her own assault at age 7
“The first time it happened, I was 7. I told the first adults I came upon. They said “Oh, he’s a nice old man, that’s not what he meant”,’ tweeted activist Ashley Judd. “So when I was raped at 15, I only told my diary. When an adult read it, she accused me of having sex with an adult man,’ she said.
#WhyIDidntReport because the first time I did for a serious sexual assault as a teenager nothing came of it, and later I felt that I wasn’t important enough to make a big deal over. I was wrong.
— Mira Sorvino (@MiraSorvino) September 22, 2018
You know how you drain the swamp? By telling millions of women who have suffered the terrible pain and humiliation of sexual assault that you’re not interested in their stories. Yep. And then #WhyIDidntReport will become #WhyIWillDefinitelyVote.
— Ken Olin (@kenolin1) September 22, 2018
Because I had never seen a survivor come forward and be treated with dignity, so why would I believe my case would be different? #WhyIDidntReport
— Miss Michigan (@MissAmericaMI) September 21, 2018
To people saying “Why didn’t he/she report it?” When something so evil happens to you it takes a long time to process it. In our victim-blaming culture it takes incredible courage to come forward. The victim is treated like the perpetrator.
— Padma Lakshmi (@PadmaLakshmi) September 22, 2018
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