If you don't believe the victims of Deen or the accusers of Cosby, I'm not sure we can help

Hi all,

I thought I would add my voice to the many others who are advocating that we start 2016 without rape apologists. The reason for this is very simple. We need to believe women.

Many of the victims of both Cosby and James Deen took a lot of courage to come out and actually say it. Many of them had to process the experience before they could actually call it rape. Many of them knew that they would not be believed. There are many men and women who are saying that both are being tried in the court of public opinion. I'mma call bullshit.

Not only have they been accused of multiple counts of assault, but everyone in the industries kind of knew before the news broke. When I hear these men and women saying, "Innocent until proven guilty," all I can think is, "You must have done some shit in your life to defend a rapist." It makes me sad. The surprising thing is, the porn industry reacted far more swiftly than Hollywood would ever do. James Deen has gone from the being the so-called golden boy of porn to likely unemployable in the industry. That is as it should be, because we need to believe women, not treat them as chattel. The porn industry understands that, where Hollywood is dragging its feet after ten years. That is unacceptable.

When I see the many accusations levelled at Cosby and Deen, I do not see a court of public opinion. I see a pattern of behaviour extending far back into their past, and the manifestation of toxic masculinity. So if you want to defend that, I urge you to think before you write a single word.

I may be divisive. I may not be everyone's cup of tea. At least I know I'm on the right side of history. Because I believe women, and so should everyone else.

Xoxo,

Olivia