When I was about 14, I had a job during the summer at my friend’s father’s job at an office in downtown Chicago. I would take the IC commuter train to the Loop every morning by myself; I had taken the train alone for years, so this was no big deal. Because my stop was in Matteson, near the end of the line, I usually…

The missing stair. Yep. Whole generations pretending that it’s totally acceptable to hop over that gap in decent behavior.

If I could time travel, I would go back in time to when I was a little girl and tell me that it is OK to make a scene. If something is wrong, MAKE A BIG SCENE.

Weinstein is creepy as hell in that recording, you can tell he’s done this many times before and knows exactly how to bully and manipulate his victims.

Something similar happened to me. My uncle (not biologically related; married to my mom’s sister) has a habit of being very kissy with women. He’s the kind of person who always bear-hugs and always kisses sloppily on the cheek midst-bear-hug. Some people don’t mind this kind of thing. When I was a child, I just kind…

I got a similar response when an old guy in our local legion went in for a cheek kiss and shoved his tongue in my mouth at the last second. My sister tore a strip off the guy, and I made it clear I was less than happy about it. We both got told we were too hard on him because he was ‘from a different generation’. Fuck…

Yeah, its a hard thing to recommend that people listen to the tape because it took me multiple starts and stops, but it is MUCH more horrifying thatn the transcript. I felt trap and I was sitting in my apartment thousands of miles away from Weinstein. His victims must get flashbacks when they here that voice.

The transcript is horrifying, but listening to the actual recording is worse, especially to anyone who has ever been on the receiving end of this kind of coercive, power-tripping sexual predation. I have: I suspect a great many of us have.

Rose McGowan, one of the few of Weinstein’s victims to speak publicly about her abuse, was called “batshit insane,” and her habit of speaking openly about the casual sexism in Hollywood, treated as a questionable spectacle from an unwell woman. McGowan did not act like a victim should. She was angry and messy rather…

Courage isn’t lack of fear, it’s proceeding despite your fear!

Well, being brave is taking action even when you are frightened.

How terrifying. It is a major psychological assault, even though he wasn’t physically assaulted. Knowing that likely someone you know drugged you, and had you completely at their mercy for hours cannot be a good feeling, even if you weren’t raped or robbed.

Yep. It’s fucking exhausting. And almost impossible to tease out which has been worse—the outright criminal violence I’ve experienced or the lifetime of smaller wounds—the catcalls, being followed, being yelled at for rejecting someone, being gaslit, etc. etc.

It was one of those, “Oh, no, motherfucker, not today!” moments. It didn’t take much of my time to give someone a hand and make a creepy opportunist back right off.

Routine darkness - yes, this is it. I’m glad you’re acknowledging this. After hearing my women friends stories of sexism from coworkers, family (including outright rejection based on sexuality or weight), and assault...I just had this horrible visceral feeling of empathetic and internal trauma. Life for women is in…

You need to get over yourself. It’s not tacky, they didn’t name anyone and they are rocking the sisterhood. If thousands of people start looking out for potential victims of sexual assault just so they can post it on social media, I’m fine with that.

I disagree. It’s a mindset. They want others to be aware of the bad things that can happen but can turn out good with help from others. “Evil triumphs when good men do nothing.”

I, too, intervened in a sketchy situation once. A guy was leading a very intoxicated gal out of a bar and she kinda went down on the pavement out front and he was too weird, trying to jolly her along and get her to leave with him even though she could not. I just totally inserted myself in the situation and tried to…

Or they’re taking other medications that are contraindicated with sedatives. Or they have a heart condition, or breathing difficulties, or the dose is too strong. This is a very effective way to kill somebody “by accident.”

I always wonder about people with porphyria or similar conditions, something like this could KILL them.