Bill Cosby's legal defense was a case study in rape culture
Bill Cosby’s legal defense was a case study in rape culture
I was at the trial. The way his lawyers blamed the victim was shocking.
Updated by Caroline Heldman Jun 13, 2017, 5:00pm EDT
“Why would any rape survivor ever go to court?”
A wide-eyed Lili Bernard whispered this question to me during the opening statements in Bill Cosby’s criminal trial last week. Bernard is one of the 60 women who have come forward to allege sexual violence at the hands of Cosby. She has experienced plenty of victim blaming and death threats since going public.
But what she saw at the Cosby trial was still shocking: His lawyers used nearly every rape myth in the book to go after Andrea Constand and Kelly Johnson, the two women who testified against Cosby. During opening statements, defense attorney Brian McMonagle berated Johnson for falsely accusing Cosby in order to get media attention: “Cameras! A press conference! LA! What happens next? Media tour. Pay attention. Be vigilant. Dr. Phil!”
I traveled from Los Angeles to sleepy Norristown, Pennsylvania, the day before the trial to support Constand, Johnson, and other Cosby survivors who came to see Constand’s day in court, including Bernard, Victoria Valentino, Linda Kirkpatrick, Therese Serignese, and Barbara Bowman. We meet each day at 7 am on the steps of the Montgomery County Courthouse to get trial passes so we can sit together.
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https://www.vox.com/first-person/2017/6/13/15793220/bill-cosby-trial-rape-culture
