After a rushed process that was designed to deny survivors a chance to be fully heard, the Senate has confirmed Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court. This moment represents a complete disregard for the voices of survivors of sexual violence, women, people with disabilities, and the many others who called and protested against this nomination. For the disability community, the decision places additional obstacles in our path as we fight for our rights to bodily autonomy, health care, inclusion, and self-determination.
The Senate isn’t listening to our voices, but we are not alone. All across the country, people took action to stop the confirmation. We rallied, protested, called, and emailed. We confronted our elected officials and comforted each other. We fought hard, because we were fighting to protect ourselves, our loved ones and our communities. That fight is not over.
We are confronted with cruelty, with prejudice, with an ideology that says some people deserve health and happiness and safety and the rest of us deserve what we get. We will respond with fierce opposition every step of the way, because of our love for our community, for other marginalized people, and for each other. We will rally, we will work, we will hold our elected officials accountable, and we will support one another through hard times. This is a moment for our community to show the world what we stand for, and we are going to make each other proud.
Above all, we want to tell the survivors in our community: we believe you. Your voice matters. What you have been put through over the last few weeks is unacceptable, and you deserve so much better. We believe in a future where all people can live free of violence and where all our voices can be heard, and we won’t stop until that world is real. We’ll see you there.
We know this is a difficult time for many people in our community. If you are dealing with issues related to sexual assault and need support or referral to services, RAINN operates a chat hotline which may be more accessible than using the phone.