This Is What #KavaNOPE Means to Me

ByEmily Thorpe
One year after theNew York Times published its exposé on Harvey Weinstein, (which brought new light to the rise of the #MeToo movement – a phrase coined by Tarana Burke in 2006), the Senate voted to send Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court.
 
He was confirmed, despite the fact that two victims of sexual misconduct and one victim of sexual assault came forward.
 

He was confirmed, despite his childish behavior.

He was confirmed, due to the results of an “investigation” that ended quicker than my last period.

The #MeToo movement not only brought attention to survivors of sexual assault, but #MeToo forced attackers into a situation in which they had to be accountable for their actions. The spotlight was lit last October: Facebook newsfeeds were littered with survivors’ stories, charges were brought against some of those found to have sufficient evidence in their cases, and a taboo felt like it was finally being lifted in our society.
 

So here’s to you – to the one in five women and one in 71 men in the United States who have been or will be raped during their lifetime, to the one in four girls and one in six boys who will be sexually abused before they turn 18 years old, to the 49.5 percent of multiracial women and more than 45 percent of American Indian/Alaska Native women who are victims of contact sexual violence, to the 90 percent of survivors telling the truth…

Our momentum has been stalled, but the fight isn’t over.

Take a moment (fuck, take a day), to remind yourself that you are loved. You are not alone. There is hope for a better, more honest, and safer tomorrow. Practice some self-love and then register to vote.

 
Call your Senators (202-224-3121) and Representatives (202-225-3121). Donate your time or money to a local women’s shelter or to ENDTHEBACKLOG – an organization working to test every rape kit that has been backlogged.
 
Reach out to those you love and remind them that you’re here for them. Reach out to fellow victims to remind them they matter – let them know that they have a place in this world.
 
Madeleine Albright said: “It took me quite a long time to develop a voice, and now that I have it, I am not going to be silent.”
 
We too have a voice and are not going to be silent.

Managing Editor

Emily Thorpe is a writer and editor out of Minneapolis. She started exhibiting signs of endometriosis at 16 but wasn’t formally diagnosed until 30, when she had her first excision surgery. That lonely and horrifying experience has not only informed Emily’s view of the world around her, but is also the reason she speaks out about chronic conditions as whole: we can only fix things for future generations with awareness and research that is inclusive and science based. She hopes to someday live in a world where endometriosis is not only recognized as more than “women’s trouble,” but where a cause and cure for the disease is found.
Emily lives with her husband, cat, and dog, believes in human rights for all, and that a night with live music with those you love can fix almost anything.