As the list of high-powered men accused of sexual misconduct grows, I am both fascinated and disheartened by the entire situation. Hollywood is a cutthroat industry that can take everything out of you so to have to deal with being violated sexually is another level of trauma on an already draining experience for artists and actors. Countless men have lost their jobs because of allegations levied against them and in the case of folks like Kevin Spacey, who was on a hit Netflix show, his indiscretions are affecting the livelihood of his fellow actors and the production crew. I am here for every single one of these individuals getting the just that’s due to them for the despicable things that they have done. That is the way it should be. You commit a sex crime; you reap the consequences of those actions. That is, of course, unless you are Donald Trump, who has yet to answer for the dozen or so accusations against him by women who say that he violated them sexually in some form or fashion over the last three decades.
It is crazy how these women have just seemed to disappear. Trump spun whatever web his money could pay for and poof, we forgot about them. We forgot about the accusations and how many of them recounted what the 45th president of the United States did to them. America elected an accused sexual predator to run this country because, in their eyes, a computer server scandal was more important than addressing the rape culture that Trump helps perpetuate. In the face of hearing the man say how he can easily grab a woman by her pussy, simpletons turned their heads away from his victims and towards empty promises to return this country to a fantastical glorious state. He was elected and his victims, forgotten. Temple Taggart, who maintains that Trump kissed her on the mouth during her participation in the 1997 Miss USA pageant, told the New York Times,
“With Trump, it was all brushed under the rug.”
For Rachel Crooks, who worked in the Manhattan office of Trump Tower in 2005 and recalls Trump kissing her on the mouth without consent, seeing sexual predators fall is encouraging, but still, leaves her wondering,
“How can the country forget about us?”
While most Americans may be tired of hearing about these stories of sexual harassment and misconduct, I am intrigued beyond belief. It speaks to the power hierarchy that has divided us from the beginning of time on so many aspects of life. Rich men do what they want, and for a long time, they get away with it. Then, the bubble breaks, all hell is unleashed, and the bad men get what’s coming to them. But this doesn’t seem to be the case for Trump, who has seemingly escaped the consequences of his alleged actions. Nonetheless, just because we haven’t heard much from the women that were wronged by the current leader of this sometimes United States, doesn’t mean it has all gone away. In fact, recent updates show that there is still very much a legal battle raging against Trump. With all that he’s dealing with concerning the shake-ups in his administration and the Mueller saga, there is a very real possibility that his victims will get some kind of justice. Or at least that is my prayer.
I am so tired of men getting away with gross behavior because of who they are. Black, white, it does not matter. Too many times victims of traumatic and life-changing crimes are left hanging in the balance because nobody wants to touch the situation. The day has come for Harvey Weinstein and others like him, and I have no choice but to believe that Trump will also get his day. Just last week, according to the New York Times, Summer Zervos, who says that he defamed her during his presidential campaign, filed a lawsuit against him. In the process of denying the sexual assault claims, Trump, per usual, said some pretty damning things about Zervos, a former contestant on “The Apprentice.” His comments were insulting, disrespectful and dismissive. According to her lawyers,
“Mr. Trump knowingly, intentionally and maliciously threw each and every one of these women under the bus, with conscious disregard of the impact that repeatedly calling them liars would have upon their lives and reputations.”
Trump’s camp is trying to fight it by saying that a sitting president cannot be sued, but there is a precedence set by the sexual harassment case that Paula Jones brought against President Bill Clinton back in the 90s that says the suit is valid. We are just waiting to see what the New York State Superior courts are going to say, hopefully before the end of the year.
This is most certainly the tenacity that is going to bring the truth to light in this and other situations. Sometimes, when fighting against certain people, you have to use different approaches in order to see results. The predators don’t get the final say. Their denial of any wrongdoing is not the end of the story. And in the case of a man like Donald Trump who sees his money as a means to getting his way, the relentless continuation of seeking justice is how to get to the bottom of the situation.
Just because we are distracted by “fake news” created by this administration to take our minds off of the important things, doesn’t mean those things are over. These kinds of ordeals take time, and when you are dealing with a man as elite and well connected as Trump, it very well may be a slow process. But that fact can no longer be a deterrent to those who have been victimized by saying something and pursuing justice. The climate is right for it.
Trump’s accusers may have been forgotten by most, but rest assured they are still around, fighting. And from the looks of the way things may go with the defamation lawsuit, they aren’t throwing in the towel anytime soon.