She Said

I didn't realise, when I borrowed She Said, by Jodi Kantor and Megan Twohey, that my reading it would coincide with Harvey Weinstein's rape retrial (though he will remain in jail on other charges, no matter what the result). One of the reasons for the retrial is the contention that the judge improperly allowed what's called 'propensity evidence,' in other words, evidence from other women, not plaintiffs in the case, to give evidence that Weinstein had acted in a similar way with them -- to show that he had a pattern of predatory behaviour. In a way, this cuts to the very heart of the Me Too movement, which relies on women sharing their testimony to provide a weight of corroboration that eventually becomes irrefutable.

Kantor and Twohey, the New York Times journalists who broke the Weinstein story, had to dig behind numerous non-disclosure agreements, which acted to silence many individual women and hide the truth of Weinstein's history of sexual assaults. It wasn't until a couple of brave women came forward to bear witness, facing down the threat of legal action, on-line vilification, and personal intimidation, that Weinstein was toppled.

She Said also covers the story of Christine Blasey Ford, who revealed that Supreme Court hopeful Brett Kavanaugh had sexually assaulted her in high school, and subsequently suffered the full weight of the above consequences. Kantor and Twohey end the book on a note of hope, with a gathering of the women involved in the Weinstein case comparing their experiences and bonding together; but I can't help feeling that the backlash is in full swing. In Australia, the preferred silencing tactic is defamation laws, and anyone who has followed the case of Bruce Lehman and Brittany Higgins must feel disheartened. The full weight of patriarchy still comes crashing down on any woman who dares to challenge toxic male behaviour, and with serial sex offender Trump in the White House, things are not looking any brighter.