Connie Chung to Ford: My sexual assault is 'seared into my memory forever'

[babylonsister]

https://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/409732-connie-chung-to-ford-my-sexual-assault-seared-into-my-memory

Connie Chung to Ford: My sexual assault is 'seared into my memory forever'
By Michael Burke - 10/03/18
02:50 PM EDT


Journalist Connie Chung on Wednesday revealed in an open letter to Christine Blasey Ford, the first woman to accuse Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh of sexual assault, that she was sexually assaulted by a family doctor when she was in college.

In the letter, published in The Washington Post on Wednesday, Chung writes that she kept her assault a secret for five decades.

"Dear Christine Blasey Ford, I, too, was sexually assaulted — not 36 years ago but about 50 years ago. I have kept my dirty little secret to myself. Silence for five decades," she wrote. "The molester was our trusted family doctor. What made this monster even more reprehensible was that he was the very doctor who delivered me on Aug. 20, 1946. I’m 72 now."

snip//

Chung wrote that she "certainly did not" tell her parents and didn't report the doctor to authorities. She said she told her husband, but doesn't remember exactly when.

"At the time, I think I may have told one of my sisters. I certainly did not tell my parents. I did not report him to authorities. It never crossed my mind to protect other women," she added. "Please understand, I was actually embarrassed about my sexual naivete. I was in my 20s and knew nothing about sex. All I wanted to do was bury the incident in my mind and protect my family."

Chung wrote that she was "terrified," echoing Ford who said Thursday that she was terrified to testify before the Senate panel and a national audience.

"Christine, I, too, am terrified as I reveal this publicly. I can’t sleep. I can’t eat. Can you? If you can’t, I understand. I am frightened, I am scared, I can’t even cry," Chung wrote. "I wish I could forget this truthful event, but I cannot because it is the truth. I am writing to you because I know that exact dates, exact years are insignificant. We remember exactly what happened to us and who did it to us. We remember the truth forever. Bravo, Christine, for telling the truth."

[FSogol]

1. K&R n/t

[betsuni]

2. K&R

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

3. Kick

[mythology]

4. Too many people have too many stories

It has to end someday. It ends when we believe and support victims, female and male and those who don't fit into a purely binary gender. Young or old, rich or poor, this plague of sexual violence knows no socio-economic limits. It ends when we teach men (and yes it's almost entirely a male problem) to respect other people's boundaries and to treat others with respect. That forcing yourself on somebody doesn't make you a man, that drinking to excess can put you in bad situations where you might make choices your sober brain wouldn't (not an excuse for the actions done while drunk).

[OhioBlue]

5. I remember being with a male friend in HS. We were at his house on a Saturday night.

This isn't so much a #metoo story, (I have those but not relevant to my point here) but listening to Dr. Ford, it reminded me of the night and how easy it is to forget details but remember something specific.

I know it was my senior year, only because I know who I called and I didn't know him until my senior year.

I don't remember how I got to his house. I don't even remember why I was there. Did it start out as a party and others left or did I go to console him over a break up? I just can't remember. What I do remember is that we were alone in his basement. It was finished with a pool table, a bar and dart board. I wanted to play pool. I remember counseling him over his break up. I remember him drinking too much, I remember him coming on to me too strongly. I remember turning down his advances. I remember that there was a point that his advances became aggressive and it changed from a nuisance to something that made me scared. I remember breaking away and calling a friend that lived near him to come get me. I remember being at the other friend's house and him telling me that it was not okay for the other to have behaved that way. I don't remember how I got home from there.

I don't remember most of the details. I just remember some scenes, like out of a movie. I do clearly remember the FEELING of fear and the details that I do remember are linked to that moment.

[bobbieinok]

6. How can anyone at this moment in our history not realize the truth of memory of the experience

Victims are telling their stories and T can make his speech in MS and the people can laugh----"she doesn't know how she got home? Obviously lying"

The bottom line is---they don't want to listen, they don't want any part of the terror and fear, the helplessness.

I just don't know what we do about their willful blindness and turning away.

[spanone]

7. K&R...

[Niagara]

8. Kicking for visibilty n/t

[yuiyoshida]

9. omg! she is 72?

I didn't know that.. she always looked young to me.

[Just my opinion]

10. So much hurt, so much pain, and so little empathy and caring