We believe Dr. Christine Blasey Ford.
On Thursday, Dr. Christine Blasey Ford spoke in public for the first time about being sexually assaulted by Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh in high school.
Ford's voice broke when she began the portion of her testimony to the Senate Judiciary Committee that detailed the attempted assault, and she visibly fought off tears for the duration of describing what happened:
I was pushed onto the bed and Brett got on top of me. He began running his hands over my body and grinding his hips into me. I yelled, hoping someone downstairs might hear me, and tried to get away from him, but his weight was heavy. Brett groped me and tried to take off my clothes. He had a hard time because he was so drunk, and because I was wearing a one-piece bathing suit under my clothes. I believed he was going to rape me. I tried to yell for help. When I did, Brett put his hand over my mouth to stop me from screaming. This was what terrified me the most, and has had the most lasting impact on my life. It was hard for me to breathe, and I thought that Brett was accidentally going to kill me. Both Brett and Mark were drunkenly laughing during the attack. They both seemed to be having a good time. Mark was urging Brett on, although at times he told Brett to stop. A couple of times I made eye contact with Mark and thought he might try to help me, but he did not.
"They seemed to be having a good time."
"A couple of times I made eye contact with Mark and thought he might try to help me, but he did not."
Ford also recalled that she didn't tell her husband the details of her assault until they were remodeling their home.
She wanted a second front door. Her husband couldn't understand why. She explained.
For survivors of trauma, the worst thing is often feeling trapped. Ford, it seemed, wanted to do everything she could to make sure she'd never be trapped like that again.
Ford's opening statement was devastating to watch.
And it's hard to imagine coming away from Ford's emotionally raw, terrified, and most of all brave testimony with any other reaction than to believe her.
We at Shareblue believe Dr. Christine Blasey Ford.
Read her full testimony as prepared for delivery here.
Published with permission of The American Independent Foundation.
