You don't have to believe to be respectful

Unrolled version of my May 17th thread. May be lightly edited from original thread for clarity.

Feminism isn't a personal brand you selectively engage when it's convenient. it is an ideology that must guide how we engage with narratives around sexual violence.

I explicitly argue that you don't have to believe Tara Reade to reject rape myths. The way people refuse to take the higher road when engaging this conversation is concerning. you don't have to believe someone to be respectful.

(Image: screenshot of the top of my piece “Joe Biden Has Been Accused of Rape. Now What"?” at Bitch Media)

Individual scandals come and go. rape culture is the constant. it is up to us to reject strengthening rape culture—especially when it's easy. Rape culture is part of our dominant culture. It's easy to indulge because the people in power made it that way.

When you use rape myths and defend using rape culture to tear down an individual—even if they are lying—you are giving rapists and enablers the green light to use those same arguments against victims who are telling the truth.

Why? Because rapists are backed up by centuries of oppression that has ignored, excused, and rewarded raping vulnerable populations.

So when you justify using rape culture, you're justifying the use of an ideology and practice that made women like me legally unrapeable bc we're Black.

You're justifying the system that made our rapes profitable for racist white men.

You're justifying the frame of thought behind the systemic cover up of rape on college campuses.

You're justifying the media that profits from making it unsafe and traumatic to report to cater to rapists.

In short: you're justifying a culture responsible for widespread inequality and oppression.

So, yeah, it's a cultural problem. But it's also fucking personal when you insist on your right to make arguments that make people like me objectively less safe and make rapists objectively safer from retribution.

Rape culture and justice CANNOT co-exist. period.

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