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Bill Cosby Found Guilty of Sexual Assault: Women React on Twitter


After a grueling few weeks of testimony from six different women, Bill Cosby was found guilty of sexual assault on Thursday (April 26).

This verdict is specifically in regard to Andrea Constand, whom Cosby assaulted in 2004. The court charged him with three counts of aggravated indecent assault against Constand—but this is a symbolic win for many women. Over the past few years, more than 60 women have accused Cosby of sexual assault. Many of them appeared on the cover of New York magazine in July 2015 and shared their frighteningly similar testimonies—a brave, universally-lauded act that was viewed as one of the accelerators of the #MeToo movement.

Cosby’s guilty verdict is the first court win for both the #MeToo and #TimesUp initiatives, which began at the end of 2017 and early 2018 to end sexual harassment and gender bias. The court decision is proof our culture is progressing and that women are finally being heard.

One of Cosby’s accusers, Lili Bernard, summed up this sentiment today in an interview outside the Pennsylvania courthouse where Cosby was convicted. “I feel like I’m dreaming, Can you pinch me? … I feel like my faith in humanity is restored,” she said.

And several women—both famous and not—feel exactly the same way. “Thank you society for waking up,” actress and activist Rose McGowan tweeted shortly after Cosby was found guilty.

“In a fitting end to Sexual Assault Awareness month, Bill Cosby was found guilty today. Thinking of all the women he traumatized over the past 50 years,” Top Chef host and sexual assault survivor Padma Lakshmi also wrote.

Writer and cultural critic Roxane Gay tweeted something many of Cosby’s accusers are no-doubt feeling: “Enjoy that prison cell, Bill.” At this point, though, it’s still unclear how much jail time—if any—Cosby will serve.

But that’s not stopping women from posting messages about what this means for sexual assault survivors. Here are some of the most powerful ones we found, both on Twitter and Instagram:

Related Stories:

Former Supermodel Janice Dickinson Just Gave Powerful Testimony Against Bill Cosby

Bill Cosby Paid a $3.38 Million Settlement to One of His Sexual Assault Accusers

Bill Cosby’s Lawyer Calls False Allegations of Rape Worse Than Actual Rape





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#MeTooK12 Is Opening the Door for Students to Talk About Sexual Assault


Since the explosive reports of sexual misconduct against Harvey Weinstein, the #MeToo movement has shed light on the rampant sexual misconduct that permeates our culture. Countless women have stepped forward to accuse powerful men of sexual harassment and assault, everywhere from Hollywood to Silicon Valley to Washington, DC.

And do you know where else sexual misconduct happens? High schools. Hell, it even happens in middle schools.

Through a new offshoot of the #MeToo movement, called #MeTooK12, girls who have faced sexual harassment or assault in school are coming forward with their stories. They echo the stories we’ve been hearing from grown women for weeks, except that this time, the assault is happening in classrooms, cafeterias, and school hallways. The people being accused are classmates, teachers, and school administrators.

Often, the girls say they reported the misconduct, but there were no repercussions, which reflects research into the harassment in schools. According to the American Association of University Women, data from the U.S. Department of Education shows that 67 percent of public schools in the U.S. reported zero incidents of sexual harassment of gender-based bullying during the 2013-2014 school year. But many other reports show that sexual harassment and bullying are way more common than that—AAUW research found that more than half of girls have experienced some form of sexual harassment in school.

So, two takeaways: First: A lot of kids are experiencing sexual harassment in school. Second: They’re not being taken seriously by teachers, counselors, and school administrators—the very adults who are supposed to protect them. When schools fail to respond to allegations, they’re essentially teaching girls that sexual misconduct is OK.

Because of Title IX, which outlawed sex discrimination in educational institutions that get federal funding, schools are supposed to accurately report sexual harassment and assault—it’s the law. If you want to learn more about how well schools are handling sexual misconduct where you live, check out this chart from the AAUW. If you’re concerned that allegations aren’t being handled properly in a school near you, contact your regional Title IX coordinator for help.





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Olivia Munn Calls for 'Foundational, Systemic Changes' to Put an End to Sexual Assault and Abuses of Power


Last month, among the sexual misconduct allegations that flooded the news after Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein’s own alleged history of sexual abuse came out, Olivia Munn joined several other women in accusing producer Brett Ratner of sexual assault and harassment. Olivia told the Los Angeles Times that Ratner, after allegedly masturbating in front of her on a film set in the early 2000s, continued to harass her and started spreading rumors that they had consensually slept together. Of her decision to finally speak out against Ratner, Olivia told the Times, “It feels as if I keep going up against the same bully at school who just won’t quit. You just hope that enough people believe the truth and for enough time to pass so that you can’t be connected to him anymore.”

Now, as even more powerful men join the dozens already accused of sexual abuse in the past few months, the X-Men: Apocalypse star is calling for a total overhaul of the system that has allowed for these alleged abuses of power. In a powerful essay she wrote for Entertainment Weekly this week, Olivia advocates for systemic changes, including a zero-tolerance policy for sexual assault, that will, hopefully, prevent any further sexual misconduct by those in charge.

“In our world today—and it’s not just Hollywood, it’s the same for girls and women all over the world who have survived sexual abuse and/or harassment—abusers don’t usually get in trouble unless the victim is broken first, because the violating act alone is not damaging enough to spark society’s outrage. It’s a marathon towards self-destruction in order to gain credibility and a vicious circle of victim-blaming,” she wrote. “When people ask how these men in powerful positions were able to hurt so many people for so many years, I look to the people at the top and ask those questions.”

She continued, “This is not a ‘women’s’ issue, this is an abuse-of-power issue … and until we eradicate the diseased roots of our infrastructure and make foundational, systemic changes, nothing will change. We can use this moment to create a lasting shift. We should create a zero-tolerance policy with actionable consequences for sexual assault and any other forms of abuse. Heads of studios, bosses, and CEOs should enforce equal pay because continuing to pay us less perpetuates a bias that women are inferior.”

Olivia ended on a powerful note, asking for those already in positions of power not to be complacent in the corrupt system that allows for powerful people to take advantage of those below them. “If you’re already at the top or on your way there, please don’t hold us back anymore. Instead, stand with the rest of us—because the glass ceiling that hangs over me is the same glass ceiling that will hang over your daughters, sisters, nieces,” she wrote. “Together, our voices are mighty, powerful, and earth-shaking. We’re strong. We’re not afraid to call each other out—and we’re not afraid to call you out anymore either.”



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Over 180 Women Are Accusing Massage Envy of Sexual Assault


On Sunday, Buzzfeed News published a lengthy story about the national chain, Massage Envy that alleged over 180 instances of sexual assault reported by customers. The company—in case you’re not familiar—describes itself as “a nationwide wellness franchise providing massage and skin care services. We believe that regular massages and facials are an integral part of total body wellness” and is the largest chain of massage franchises in the U.S.

The accounts reported in Buzzfeed are disturbing, to say the least. Numerous women recount stories of being penetrated (both digitally and orally), groped, and licked by their Massage Envy therapists. “Over 100 reported that massage therapists groped their genitals, groped their breasts, or committed other explicit violations, such as the California woman who said she opened her eyes during a prenatal massage to find her massage therapist sucking on her nipple.”

To make matters worse, it seems many of these women reported their abuse to Massage Envy and feel that their cases were woefully mishandled. One woman, Susan Ingram, says after she was assaulted by her massage therapist, James Deiter, she drove home in tears and then called the spa to report the incident. Ingram says the manager refused to pull his employee out of a session with a client or put her in touch with the owner.

“I said to her, ‘Nicole, he stuck his fingers in my vagina less than an hour ago,’ she later recounted in court. She begged the manager to get Deiter’s client out of the massage room immediately. ‘She said she could not do that, and she invited me in to talk about my services.'” She then called the police which eventually led to Deiter pleading guilty to sexually molesting nine women while at Massage Envy. Court records showed that at least two of those women had tried to warn the spa about his behavior, but the company concluded they weren’t credible with the owner stating, “I was following the policy of Massage Envy and therefore I thought it was appropriate.”

Massage Envy initially told Buzzfeed News that the company has worked hard to create the industry’s “most stringent, rigorous policies” for hiring, screening, and training therapists. “We hold franchise owners accountable to our policies and, when we say nothing is more important to us than treating clients with respect and giving them a safe, professional experience, we mean it.” Therapists all go through background checks and are supposed to be subjected to a zero-tolerance policy when it comes to inappropriate touching with the possibility of a franchise contract being terminate by failure to comply with their overall contract. But there seems to be a lot of gray area in how accusations are investigated and handled. This also becomes murkier when you dive into the corporate liability versus an individual franchise.

“Although Massage Envy Franchising says it leads the industry when it comes to sexual assault policies, it also argues in court filings that as a company that sells franchise agreements rather than employing individual massage therapists, it should bear no liability in clients’ sexual assault lawsuits. It’s hard to know how these cases are resolved, since they are settled under strict confidentiality clauses,” the company said. Some hope a case (that includes Susan Ingram) coming to trial may help to give clarity on some of the legal matters.

In a statement to Glamour on Monday, Massage Envy said: “Each of these incidents is heartbreaking for us and for the franchisees that operate Massage Envy locations, and we will never stop looking for ways to help our franchisees provide a safe environment at Massage Envy franchise locations. The article references 180 reported incidents. These occurred over a span of 15 plus years and 125 million massages. But, we believe that even ONE incident is too many, so we are constantly listening, learning, and evaluating how we can continue to strengthen our policies with respect to handling of these issues.”​



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Larry Nassar, Former USA Gymnastics Doctor, Pleads Guilty to Sexual Assault


On Wednesday, Larry Nassar, a former USA Gymnastics team doctor, pleaded guilty to seven counts of first-degree criminal sexual assault, six of which applied to girls 15 or younger. He’s also been accused of sexual abuse by more than 130 other women, including Olympic medalists Aly Raisman, Gabby Douglas, and McKayla Maroney.

Nassar admitted in court to wielding his position as a respected doctor as a way to abuse the girls—something Raisman was especially vocal about when she opened up about her own allegations against Nassar. “I want people to know that I really didn’t know what was happening to me,” Raisman said on the Today Show earlier in November. “He was a doctor and he told me that his treatment would help heal all of my injuries. He was such a master manipulator, and I think that’s what’s important for people to understand is that these monsters are so good at manipulating you so you’re so brainwashed to think—I thought he was so nice.”

During Nassar’s sentencing in January, the 125 women who reported their assaults to Michigan State Police will be allowed to read their victim statements. Other charges were dismissed or reduced as a part of a plea bargain, according to CNN.

Nassar now faces a minimum of 25 years in prison as part of that same plea bargain.

“For all those involved, I’m so horribly sorry that this was like a match that turned into a forest fire out of control,” Nassar said in a Michigan courtroom while entering his plea. “I have no animosity toward anyone. I just want healing … We need to move forward in a sense of growth and healing and I pray (for) that.”

Judge Rosemarie Aquilina responded to Nassar’s apology by saying, “I agree that now is a time of healing, but it may take them a lifetime of healing while you spend your lifetime behind bars thinking about what you did in taking away their childhood. You violated the oath that you took, which is to do no harm, and you harmed them selfishly … They are superheroes for all of America because this is an epidemic.”

Raisman tweeted in reaction to the hearing that she was “disgusted” the court referred to Nassar as a “doctor.”

“Court referring to Larry as DOCTOR Nassar. I AM DISGUSTED. I am very disappointed. He does NOT deserve that. Larry is digusting. Larry is a MONSTER not a doctor,” she wrote.

According to CNN, as of July, Nassar has been charged with a total of “22 counts of first-degree criminal sexual conduct and 11 counts of third-degree criminal sexual conduct at the state level.” On Monday, Nassar will appear in court once again for a hearing regarding federal-level charges of receiving and possessing child pornography.

Related Stories:
–Aly Raisman Opens Up About Alleged Sexual Abuse by Former Team Doctor
–Gabby Douglas Says She Too Was Abused By Doctor Larry Nassar
–Gold-Medal Gymnast McKayla Maroney Opens Up About Abuse by Former Team Doctor





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Today in Are You Kidding: Rick Perry Says Fossil Fuels Can Prevent Sexual Assault


When it comes to preventing sexual assault, Energy Secretary Rick Perry has a truly unprecedented suggestion: using more fossil fuels.

Perry’s head-scratcher of a suggestion came Thursday morning when he took part in an energy policy discussion hosted by Axios and NBC News. How exactly are fossil fuels supposed to prevent sexual assault? Let’s connect some dots.

First, even though he once forgot the department he heads existed, Perry has been adamantly pro-fossil fuels (and anti-climate change) throughout his short tenure as energy secretary. During Thursday’s panel, he rehashed a story from a recent trip to Africa, sharing an anecdote about a young girl who said electricity is important to her because she’d no longer have to “read by the light of a fire and have those fumes literally killing people.”

He then expanded upon the other benefits of expanding electricity that’s powered by fossil fuels.

“But also from the standpoint of sexual assault,” Perry explained. “When the lights are on, when you have light that shines, the righteousness, if you will, on those types of acts.”

Can we all agree that the idea that sexual assault can be stopped by simply turning on a few lights is both ludicrous and offensive to anyone who’s survived such an experience? And as noted by the good folks over at Splinter, Perry seems to be “a little confused” on the concept of “light” and how it pertains to the “righteousness” he speaks of (after all, there’s a “difference between literal and metaphorical ‘light’ here”).

What this seems to be is an instance of a cabinet member trying to capitalize on a pervasive societal issue—one that’s been at the forefront of public discourse due to the onslaught of sexual misconduct allegations against numerous men in positions of power, including his boss Donald Trump—and use it as a means to advance his own agenda. Perry has close ties to the oil industry and even sat on the board of the company contracted to build the Dakota Access Pipeline. Never mind that numerous companies are trying to bring more cost-effective solar-powered energy to Africa, Perry wants to keep this antiquated energy system going. And he made a case for it in the most cynical way possible.

What makes this even worse is how Perry’s asinine viewpoint on sexual assault is completely commonplace in the current administration. In September, Education Secretary Betsy DeVos recently rolled back protections for sexual assault survivors on college campuses. Last week, Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders confirmed that the administration thinks all the women who have brought sexual misconduct allegations against the President are liars. Perry’s comments are undoubtedly insulting, but the sad truth is they’re completely standard in Trump’s White House.





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