We still consistently hear people dismiss #MeToo accusers of looking to capitalize on being a “victim.”
Well, six months after going public, one of Louis CK‘s accusers is attempting to correct that misconception.
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In an emotional Vulture essay, Rebecca Corry says in no way has coming forward “made my work as a writer, actress, and comedian any easier.” She explains:
“It was never on my vision board to be a Time magazine ‘silence breaker’ or a lifelong goal to be pictured in People magazine, labeled as a ‘victim.'”
Seriously. Who would want that?
Corry says she spoke out because she felt shame for staying silent while other women were attacked — and in her work rescuing dogs, she knows “to ignore abuse is to condone it.”
So what has she gotten for it? Not riches or distinction. Attention, yes. But not the kind anyone would want! She describes:
“Since speaking out, I’ve experienced vicious and swift backlash from women and men, in and out of the comedy community. I’ve received death threats, been berated, judged, ridiculed, dismissed, shamed, and attacked├óΓé¼ΓÇ╣.”
She even includes some Twitter screenshots in her piece, with strangers calling her an “opportunist,” a “scumbag,” and of course the C-word. Because it’s Twitter.
But the backlash isn’t just from randos on the Internet. Corry reveals:
“Two close friends I’d trusted and confided in for years, who were at the taping when it happened, refused to corroborate what happened to me in the New York Times using their names. Other friends simply stopped communicating with me. These are the same people I had seen on social media, proudly wearing pussy hats and Time’s Up pins at the Women’s March. Speaking out feels like standing in front of the world naked under fluorescent lights on a really bad day. I knew making myself so vulnerable would bring scrutiny from the outside, but my personal life has also been damaged by my decision to tell the truth.”
Just six months later, when she’s still feeling the ramifications of all this, Corry writes she’s already being asked if she thinks Louis will “make a comeback.”
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And her response is truly educational:
“The idea that C.K. reentering the public eye would ever be considered a ‘comeback’ story is disturbing. The guy exploited his position of power to abuse women. A ‘comeback’ implies he’s the underdog and victim, and he is neither. C.K. is a rich, powerful man who was fully aware that his actions were wrong. Yet he chose to behave grotesquely simply because he could. The only issue that matters is whether he will choose to stop abusing women.”
She ends by reiterating that the decision to speak out is “hell” but that she’ll “never regret telling the truth”:
“Not ├óΓé¼ΓÇ╣everyone will respect your truth, and you may suffer further for telling it. But the truth will set you free├óΓé¼ΓÇ╣.”
We’re so sorry to hear how tough this has been. But everyone who thinks thinks women are coming forward for money or fame needs to hear it.
[Image via Twitter/FayesVision/WENN.]