I can’t speak to Rep. Nancy Mace’s allegations. I will defend her right to make them, anywhere. | Opinion
U.S. Rep. Nancy Mace, R-Daniel Island, has ignited a firestorm in our state of South Carolina and across the nation.
Her allegations of sexual abuse and misconduct this month against four men are shocking and disturbing and most of all have once again unveiled deep-seated opinions about a woman’s right to stand for justice.
Why is it when a woman shares her story, her credibility and character immediately come into question? It’s as if there needs to be a screening to determine not only if her words have veracity but also if she is even allowed to speak her words and her mind. Does she have the moral fortitude to do so? Have her past actions and comments given us reason to believe her?
This can be seen over and over in the public forum, a woman’s sexual history being brought into question if she claims she has been sexually abused. She is simply put on trial.
Jumping on this bandwagon and attacking, criticizing or mocking someone who shares their truth is as old as time. It is hardwired into our bodies. Our survival has long depended on being part of the crowd, on not being exiled or ostracized. Blending in is a survival instinct. Standing out and stepping out are dangerous — as dangerous today as they have been historically.
When Rep. Mace shared what she called her “scorched-earth” testimony, a cacophony of voices arose: She is seeking revenge. She has an ulterior motive. Look at the timing. This is a strategic move.
Why are we so suspicious of women? Why are we so quick to make assumptions and accusations about people who are laying their lives bare and being vulnerable?
Those questions go back not days or years but centuries and millennia. Women throughout history have been told to keep quiet. To know their place. To not make waves.
It was only about 100 years ago that women gained the right to vote. It was only about 50 years ago that women gained the right to use credit cards in their own names — at a time when it was socially acceptable for husbands to beat their wives and when a woman wanting to work outside the home was frowned upon. Today, in many different communities, the subjugation and physical and sexual abuse of women is still accepted, both in our nation and abroad.
Yet we are now in an era when women have rights. They have a voice but women still must tread carefully. Speaking up is always dangerous territory. Doubly dangerous, if women will be on trial in the court of public opinion even before their potential testimony in court.
I am not here to defend the allegations made by Rep. Nancy Mace. I am here to defend her right to make allegations on the House floor. Or from a rooftop. Or from anywhere her soul tells her is the right place at the right time.
I am tired of hearing the same old outworn, tone-deaf, coldhearted responses to anyone’s testimony of pain. Among those is “Why did you wait so long?” Trauma does not abide by any timeline nor should it. Trauma, pain and suffering are deeply personal and may induce a state of shock. They have their own timeline.
It is not our business to tell people when, how or if they should share the truth of their pain. It is their pain, not ours. One day, we may have to speak the unspeakable because the unspeakable happened to us. In that moment, every single one of us would pray that we are afforded grace and that we have the right to share our truth without our character and credibility being questioned even before justice is pursued.