Feinstein: You’re a big, powerful man. Why didn’t you [gestures pushing motion]?
Crews: Senator, as a black man in America [sigh]…
Feinstein: Say it as it is. I think it’s important.
Crews: …you only have a few shots at success. You only have a few chances to make yourself a viable member of the community. I’m from Flint, Michigan. I have seen many many young black men who were provoked into violence, and they were imprisoned, or they were killed, and they’re not here. My wife for years prepared me. She said, “If you ever get goaded, if you ever get prodded, if you ever have anyone try to push you into any kind of situation, don’t do it. Don’t be violent.” And she trained me. I’ll be honest with you it was the strength of my wife who trained me and told me, “If this situation happens, let’s leave.” And the training worked because I did not go into my first reaction, I grabbed her hand, we left, but the next day I went right to the agency. I have texts, I have phone conversations, and I said, “This is unacceptable!” And I told them how -you know- I almost got violent, but I didn’t. And I said, “What are you going to do about this predator that you have roaming your hallways?” And -you know- I was told, “We are going to do everything in our power. We are going to handle this Terry. You’re right. It is unacceptable.” And then they disappeared. Nothing happened.
Look at the faces of the black men behind him it says it all.
This is real fucking infuriating. This shit isn’t funny. Fuck them and anyone who makes fun of Terry Crews speaking out and taking a stand.
for those who don’t know the context, this is Terry Crews testifying about being sexually assaulted by Adam Venit during a Senate hearing about a proposed bill called the Sexual Assault Survivors Bill of Rights. While I don’t like that Senator Feinstein said what she said, I think it opened the door for a great statement from Terry about WHY he didn’t fight back – since so many people respond to male victims with “oh well you’re bigger than your rapist, why didn’t you push him or her off of you? why didn’t you punch him or her? did you want it or something?” And they don’t listen. Maybe finally people will listen.
This shows that anyone can be a victim of sexual assault, even a tall, strong, hulking guy like Terry Crews. And I hope him coming forward with his accusations convinces other victims to realize that it being a victim isn’t something to be ashamed of and to take down their attackers, and push the justice system to FINALLY take male rape and assault seriously.
I think she asked him the question precisely for that
Yeah, Dianne Feinstein is someone who has never backed down on this issue. She wanted to give Terry Crews the space to answer the question in a way that I think he’s tried to answer in other forums but has been unable to do. She wasn’t trying to minimize his experience as a male victim of sexual assault; she was trying to give him the opening to explain that, no, it’s just not possible to fight back when someone in a position of power threatens you. That’s a reality that is frightening for every woman, but as man conditioned to believe that passivity is weakness? I can’t even imagine the emotional and psychological trauma Terry suffered on top of the actual fact of the assault and all that went with it.
But this isn’t Dianne Feinstein’s story, which is why she said the second part of her statement (”Say it as it is.”). Terry Crews needed the opportunity to tell Congress and the world that sexual assault is not a problem confined to one gender, one race, one body type. It’s something that can happen to anyone, and fighting back is not always the option. He was forced to endure and to remain silent because otherwise, every door in Hollywood would have been shut to him.
Now he can speak out. Now he can be an agent of change. And I am so proud that he did make the decision to speak out, because he’s not the stereotypical victim. He’s living proof that this social ill affects all of us.
OneLastReasonToBreathe 