Torres Small undermines sexual assault survivors

May 13, 2020

In a 2018 letter unearthed by the Piñon Post, Xochitl Torres Small signed on with other Democrats to condemn then Senate candidate Mick Rich for his handling of Christine Blasey Ford’s allegations against Justice Kavanaugh, writing:

“This statistic, while incredibly discouraging, should come as no surprise to anyone who has been following the Kavanaugh case. We have heard a litany of excuses from “it was so long ago,” to “why didn’t she report it?” and of course, outright dismissals that the incident ever took place.

[…]

“The reality is that our culture of rejecting sexual assault claims will continue as long as people who are in positions of power use their perches to first blame survivors, cast aspersions on their credibility and character, and minimize the trauma they have experienced.

“That’s why we take Rich’s comments as more than just hurtful and wrong. He used his platform to undermine survivors everywhere, and to remind those who have committed these acts that there are any number of excuses they can use to explain why their actions don’t count, and their crimes don’t matter.”

Interesting! So why hasn’t Torres Small similarly spoken out on Tara Reade’s accusations against Joe Biden, or condemned her fellow Democrats who have dismissed Reade’s claim that Biden sexually assaulted her?

Should sexual assault survivors only be believed when they’re accusing a Republican?