No, it's not 'enjoyable' to have to convince a bunch of conservative men that it's a bad idea to put a likely sexual predator on the Supreme Court.
When two sexual assault survivors confronted Sen. Bob Corker (R-TN) in an airport hallway about Trump's Supreme Court nominee, Brett Kavanaugh, Corker was polite at first.
But after a minute or so of questions, the mask slipped — and Corker revealed an ugly contempt for women who don't want him to confirm an alleged sexual predator to the highest court in the land.
"I know y'all are having — I know this is enjoyable for y'all," Corker said sarcastically, after being asked whether he thought a limited, week-long FBI investigation into new sexual assault allegations against Kavanaugh would be "enough" for women and survivors.
Corker's dismissive comment didn't go over well.
"It's not enjoyable," one of the women replied. "It is not fun for us to tell our stories."
"This is not enjoyable, this is our lives," the other said. "I'm a survivor of sexual assault."
“I know this is fun for y’all” @SenBobCorker tells two survivors of Sexual assault including our own @traceyecorder. He thinks it’s fun for women to share their stories of assault & rape. No Senator, we assure you it’s not. #cancelkavanaugh #stopkavanaugh #believesurvivors pic.twitter.com/UF2KXjPEMc
— CPD Action (@CPDAction) October 1, 2018
Corker, who often makes a show of opposing Trump, has already announced that he plans to vote to confirm Trump's extremist nominee to the Supreme Court — despite multiple credible allegations of sexual assault against Kavanaugh.
Corker's flippant remark is a reminder that somehow, many Americans still think that women come forward to accuse powerful men of sexual assault on a lark, or because they'll make money off of it, or to get attention, or some other obscene, misogynist lie.
But as anyone who has actually talked to a survivor can tell you, there's nothing fun about it. Going public about an assault is a lousy way to try to make money, but it can be a great way to lose your privacy, your friends, and your dignity, among other things.
The two women confronting Corker were reportedly affiliated with CPD Action, the activist arm of the progressive organizing group Center for Popular Democracy.
Ana Maria Archila, co-executive director of the Center for Popular Democracy, was one of the two sexual assault survivors who emotionally confronted Sen. Jeff Flake (R-AZ) in an elevator.
CPD Action members also confronted Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) and Sen. David Perdue (R-LA) at National Airport in Washington, D.C. on Monday.
Perdue snapped, "Don't touch me!" when one woman held out her hand and tried to introduce herself.
Perhaps Corker and other Republican senators think that just because these women are activists, their experiences don't matter.
But being an activist doesn't make it any easier to speak out about sexual assault — and it's hardly "enjoyable" to have to convince a bunch of conservative men that it's a bad idea to put a likely sexual predator on the Supreme Court.
Published with permission of The American Independent Foundation.
