This HuffPost Canada page is maintained as part of an online archive.

Amid Ford-Kavanaugh Hearings, Women Recount All The 'Decent' Men Who Didn't Assault Them

Some used the hashtag #NotARapist.
Activists and advocates for survivors of sexual abuse gather in Chicago's Federal Building Plaza to protest the confirmation of Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh on Sept. 28, 2018.
Scott Olson/Getty Images
Activists and advocates for survivors of sexual abuse gather in Chicago's Federal Building Plaza to protest the confirmation of Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh on Sept. 28, 2018.

Here's an understatement: It was an emotionally draining week for survivors of sexual assault.

Christine Blasey Ford, a California psychology professor, testified for hours in front of U.S. senators, telling them that Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh sexually assaulted her decades ago.

In turn, Kavanaugh denied the allegation with anger, defiance and even flippancy.

The hearings have continued the post-MeToo stream of cultural examinations into why women don't report sexual assaults and how many men have been surprised by just how common such experiences are.

In what was surely a last-ditch effort to regain some shred of faith in humanity, some women on Twitter took the opportunity to reflect on empathetic and decent men who turned out to be #NotARapist.

Writer Maura Quint began:

It wasn't long before hundreds of people chimed in with positive experiences of their own.

"I've been assaulted. I've also been not assaulted," Quint wrote. "The difference didn't seem to be what I was wearing, how flirty I was, how much I was drinking. The only difference seemed to be whether or not the men felt it was OK or not to assault."

Dr. Christine Blasey Ford, flanked by attorneys Debra Katz and Michael Bromwich, during the hearing on the nomination of Brett M. Kavanaugh to U.S. Supreme Court in Washington, DC on Sept. 27, 2018.
Tom Williams/Reuters
Dr. Christine Blasey Ford, flanked by attorneys Debra Katz and Michael Bromwich, during the hearing on the nomination of Brett M. Kavanaugh to U.S. Supreme Court in Washington, DC on Sept. 27, 2018.

Several men contributed to the conversation, too.

A female commenter thanked Christopher Ruz, telling him he "did very well." His response couldn't have been more accurate.

Also on HuffPost:

Close
This HuffPost Canada page is maintained as part of an online archive. If you have questions or concerns, please check our FAQ or contact support@huffpost.com.