Elizabeth Hyman 

Staff Writer  

Image courtesy Reuters/Brendan Mcdermid 

Last Friday, one woman did the impossible. She held her attacker, the ex-president, accountable for a grave assault on her mind, body, and soul that has plagued her since 1996.  

A jury of her peers awarded E. Jean Carroll, the plaintiff in a rape case against former president Donald Trump, $83.3 million as they held Trump liable for sexual abuse. Carroll has suffered horribly up to this point, so to have her truth heard is a major win for her and for victims everywhere. Standing up to sexual assault is no easy task and is surely one of the bravest things an individual can do. Not only is it brave to confront your abuser face to face, but to have that abuser be the former president shows unprecedented courage. 

Writing a commentary on the issues of women and sexual abuse would be easy, so instead I’d like to just write a hats-off to Carroll and a rallying cry to readers. As we all know, justice is a luxury for victims of sexual assault, as many never get the final word about their abusers. It is even harder for any of them to conquer them legally.  

For Carroll, this is a fight that she has waged since 2019, after her publication in New York Magazine publicly accused Trump of rape in a Bergdorf-Goodman’s dressing room in 1996. She cites the fear of ridicule and defamation as a reason for waiting so many years to come forward, and we can hardly blame her. We live in a victim-blaming society, and, with a name as powerful as Trump’s, we would all be as scared as her. 

More importantly, there is no wrong time for a victim to speak up. If you ask me, Carroll is braver than any of us. Whether she will receive the $83 million dollars is (sadly) a question worth asking, considering Trump’s numerous legal battles. However, Carroll plans to use the money on “something Donald Trump hates,” as she stated last month. We should all have immense respect for this woman. 

Carroll is hardly alone in her fight. The systemic pressure against victims and their stories must change. Take action. This is not a Trump issue; he is merely one rotten apple that has landed in our laps this time. If we really want to make active progress for victims of assault, people of all genders must chop down the trees from which these rotten apples grow. Women like Carroll have been bold enough to take the first whack at those trees, but we must follow suit.  

This does not mean forcing yourself to come forward if you are not ready. Some of us may never be ready, and that’s okay. I’m saying whoever you are, and whatever you’ve been through, advocate. Hold people accountable, repost, retweet, and protest. Stand arm in arm with those you trust and provide the same unconditional support that we’ve given E. Jean Carroll. I urge you to read her story.  

And finally, know that you are not alone. If you have been the victim of a sexual assault, or you know someone who has, we see you, and we are here for you. It wasn’t your fault then, and it isn’t now.