Sexual Assault is not your fault. You were violated and it’s not right!

Brie Larson, who won 2016 best actress academy award for her performance in “The Room”, a story about a women held in a room and repeatedly raped by her abductor, did not applaud Casey Affleck when he won for best actor this year. Casey was accused in 2010 for sexually assaulting two women who worked on a movie with him.  A deal was settled with these women to not take him to court.  Of course he denies the accusations.  This seems to be the thread among abusers.  I myself have not heard of any man admitting to it.  The person who molested me did not admit it, on the contrary he tried to make me look like the crazy one who would make this all up because…Hey…I was crazy, I’d been in the bin.  Wonder why I was messed up?

Brie Larson is an advocate for sexual assault survivors.  I applaud her for not applauding.  It takes courage to do that when the eyes of the whole world are upon you (Academy Awards)    Musicians, actors, politicians, people in powerful positions are quite often sexually stimulating to fans and because of all that power and ego gratification it can go to their heads blocking any normal moral compass, they think they can get away with it or worse, they think they are not doing anything wrong. 

The list is endless…Bill Cosby, Woody Allen, Roman Polanski, Bill Clinton and now we have a president who once asked if it was wrong to be sexually attracted to Ivanka.  This was reportedly deleted from a Washington Post column.  Whether he asked that or not he’s made innumerable gross comments about women and he has been elected president of these United States.  

Here is a question…when is it all-right for a man to assault a woman, sexually or otherwise.   Trump was elected, and Casey Affleck just won an Oscar. So in truth, not fake news, we are normalizing the type of behavior both men have exhibited…not just these men but now because they win awards and presidencies sexual assault is the new normal. 

I’m just shining one light on what is so NOT NORMAL, but what women have been experiencing for forever.  I hear it in Songbird Sings workshops all the time.  Women think they are somehow responsible.  Not anymore…not anymore.  It is not your fault no matter what.  A NO is a NO. 

In an interview with Brie Larson, Jane Fonda said that she had been raped, sexually abused as a child, and fired because she would not sleep with the boss.  She always thought it was her fault.  I took her a long time to come to feminism but now she’s a strong supporter for women who have survived violence.   Jane says “I know young girls we’ve been raped and didn’t even know it was rape. One of the great things the women’s movement has done is to make us realize that rape and abuse is not our fault. We were violated and “It’s Not Right”

I like that Jane says her life began at 70.  These days 70 is the new 40… Just sayin…