Cristian Newman

We Must Listen To Survivors Of Sexual Violence

I wish women didn’t have to rip our pasts open and show you everything and let you ogle our pain for you to believe us.
Sade Andria Zabala
October 22, 2017
“I speak up to contribute to the end of the conspiracy of silence.”
— Lupita Nyong'o, Lupita Nyong’o: What Harvey Weinstein Did to Me
Tagged: Harvey Weinstein, Sexual Assault, Sexual Harassment, Female Empowerment
“Terry Crews, an African American actor, tweeted his degrading experience with an Hollywood exec in front of his wife. Crews wanted to react and defend himself against the harassment however due to unfair, racial biases he was afraid of getting painted as the ‘aggressive black man’ and jeopardizing his livelihood.”
— Amelia (Mia) Smalls, Why Rose McGowan’s “replace the word women with the N-word” tweet is a reflection of white feminism
Tagged: Racial Stereotypes, stereotypes, POC, Sexual Harrassment
“For black women, silence is often equatable to death. We go through enough silencing, suppression and harassment over our voices day in and day out.”
— Clarkisha Kent, #SolidarityIsForWhiteWomen, Part 2: On Rose McGowan and the Continued Failure of White Feminism
Tagged: WOC, Silence, Suppression, racism, Sexual Abuse
“Women attacking other women for not including men in the #MeToo movement feeds into the exact problem about why women’s issues are rarely taken seriously. Women are constantly fighting men’s battles for them and not their own.”
— Nicole Lashomb, #MeToo: Too Inclusive or Exclusive, My Story
Tagged: Sexual Abuse, Misogyny, Meninism
“#MeToo is not about sexual violence alone. It is about the misogyny, patriarchy and the disturbingly exorbitant numbers of women sexually assaulted because of it. Why is it that we amplify men’s voices when they are not the ones silenced. It doesn’t mean horrific things don’t happen to men and boys, it does happen to them too. However, it does mean that women are hugely disproportionately affected and need other women’s support.”
— Nicole Lashomb, #MeToo: Too Inclusive or Exclusive, My Story
Tagged: Sexual Abuse, Misogyny, Meninism
“Are we made uncomfortable by loud or angry women/trans/GNC people of color? Do we understand why people don’t report to the police? Do we get why policing should not exist? Do women of color make as much money as white women do in your anti-violence org? Does your anti-violence panel/workshop/conference/survivor group mostly revolve around white women? Do you use your survivorhood to talk over women of color? Do you mispronounce our names and deny us other types of respect in public spaces?”
— Mahroh Jahangiri, #METOO: GENDER VIOLENCE DOES NOT EXIST WITHOUT WHITE SUPREMACY
Tagged: WOC, inclusiveness, Intersectional Feminism, White Feminism
“Gender-based violence does not exist without other systems of violence, especially those built to uphold white supremacy (such as racism, colonialism, zionism, militarism).”
— Mahroh Jahangiri, #METOO: GENDER VIOLENCE DOES NOT EXIST WITHOUT WHITE SUPREMACY
Tagged: Sexual Assault, racism, Intersectional Feminism, White Supremacy, Patriarchy
“Are men victims of sexual abuse? Absolutely. Should they be more encouraged to speak out and be made to feel safe, respected, and listened to? Of course. But women are finally being able to air their trauma — and it can't, can't, can't be treated as competition.”
— Lea Rose Emery, The Problem With Men Responding "Not All Men" To The "Me Too" Campaign
Tagged: Not All Men, Sexual Abuse, Trauma
“Why do the #NotAllMen supporters feel that every single man would have to be a rapist for there to be criticism?”
— Lea Rose Emery, The Problem With Men Responding "Not All Men" To The "Me Too" Campaign
Tagged: Not All Men, Sexual Assault, Rape Culture, Patriarchy, Meninism
“Abusers and manipulators don’t act toxic to everyone, so just because they’re good to you doesn’t mean they didn’t abuse someone else.”
— FOR THE FALLEN MEMES
Tagged: Abuse, How We Think
“I don't actually feel overwhelmed by survivor stories. I feel overwhelmed by inaction around survivor stories.”
— Shira Hassan, You Can't End Violence With More Violence: Shifting From Incarceration to Accountability
Tagged: Survivor, Sexual Assault, Apathy, Society
“Our culture does not encourage people who cause harm to take responsibility. We have an adversarial model where the person who is actually placed on trial is the survivor.”
— Mariame Kaba, You Can't End Violence With More Violence: Shifting From Incarceration to Accountability
Tagged: Predator, Sexual Assault, Survivor, Victim Blaming
“When he comes home
with pregnant knuckles, dripping blood all over the floor,
I feel like a volcano of a wife. I am waiting
for the tectonic plates below me to pose perfectly.
I am waiting for the last straw, the last black eye
or missing tooth I see before I pack my suitcase
and he shows me the front door.”
— Lydia Havens, A Marriage, Previously Without Fists
Tagged: Emotional Abuse, Domestic Violence, Divorce, Break Up
“May Anthony Rapp's voice be the one which is amplified here. Victim's voices are the ones that deserve to be heard.”
— Zachary Quinto
Tagged: Sexual Assault, Victim, Twitter Quotes