It wasn't consensual. Really.
In 1937, MGM was the world's most powerful movie studio, with enough money to own the local police and sponsor a District Attorney who was indicted for perjury for a third term. Patricia Douglas, one of 120 young, female dancers answered a casting call which turned out to be a "convention" for over 200 drunken, lecherous men -- essentially a party in celebration of MGM's success. The women were not there to be filmed, but rather to be party favors for MGM's guests. That evening, David Ross literally poured alcohol down her throat and raped her. She received absolutely no justice when she brought the case to court - the studio had its hands in the finances of the hospital where she was examined and the court where she plead her case.
"I just wanted to be vindicated, to hear someone say, 'You can't do that to a woman'."
Vanity Fair covers her case 70 years later in disgusting detail here.
You'd think that seventy years later women would be getting justice and closure from rape trials, but now it has come to the point where some women cannot even get a rape trial, despite having three eyewitnesses to their gang-rape. A guy allegedly present for the rape said "...this is her fault. She got drunk and she did this to herself."
Seventy years later and apparently victim-blaming is still socially acceptable (Patricia Douglas was having "good clean fun"). Witnesses mean nothing. Evidence means nothing.
If you want to know why I never sought any sort of justice for my assault, this is the reason in a nutshell.
After all, I had friends, people who I honestly thought gave a shit, decide that I was a liar when I finally spoke up. Many, many more turned their heads and pretended it wasn't as big a deal as I was making it out to be. To be perfectly honest, I was downplaying it at the time. I suspect this is why a lot of victims of sexual assault don't come forward. Statistics say 80% of attackers are someone the victim has already been acquainted with; why cause more "drama" by telling all your friends that you woke up covered in vomit next to their buddy that always brings weed to the party. If your friends can't believe you, what the fuck do you tell the police?
If someone comes up with a good answer to that question, let me know, okay? 'Cause I just keep hearing "there's no evidence this wasn't consensual."
"I just wanted to be vindicated, to hear someone say, 'You can't do that to a woman'."
Vanity Fair covers her case 70 years later in disgusting detail here.
You'd think that seventy years later women would be getting justice and closure from rape trials, but now it has come to the point where some women cannot even get a rape trial, despite having three eyewitnesses to their gang-rape. A guy allegedly present for the rape said "...this is her fault. She got drunk and she did this to herself."
Seventy years later and apparently victim-blaming is still socially acceptable (Patricia Douglas was having "good clean fun"). Witnesses mean nothing. Evidence means nothing.
If you want to know why I never sought any sort of justice for my assault, this is the reason in a nutshell.
After all, I had friends, people who I honestly thought gave a shit, decide that I was a liar when I finally spoke up. Many, many more turned their heads and pretended it wasn't as big a deal as I was making it out to be. To be perfectly honest, I was downplaying it at the time. I suspect this is why a lot of victims of sexual assault don't come forward. Statistics say 80% of attackers are someone the victim has already been acquainted with; why cause more "drama" by telling all your friends that you woke up covered in vomit next to their buddy that always brings weed to the party. If your friends can't believe you, what the fuck do you tell the police?
If someone comes up with a good answer to that question, let me know, okay? 'Cause I just keep hearing "there's no evidence this wasn't consensual."
2 Comments:
You have GOT to stop reading every article that comes out about rape. You'll never be able to move on from what happened to yourself if you obsess over every case where it happens to someone else. The fact that you spend this much time reading and thinking about people getting attacked and raped has got to be like gasoline on your agoraphobia fire.
I'm here with you and for you. But you knew that :)
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