Jury selection for writer E. Jean Carroll’s lawsuit against former President Donald Trump kicks off Tuesday in federal court in New York and with it more indications of a potential shift in the misogynistic culture Trump has championed for decades — namely, the narrative that powerful, wealthy men can treat and speak about women in degrading ways without fear of retribution.
Despite Trump’s lawyer’s assertion that Carroll made her accusations “to sell a book and for political reasons,” there has never been an apparent upside for a woman to speak out against a powerful man.
For a long time it seemed like the more than 20 allegations of sexual misconduct and assault against Trump, all of which he has denied, would remain footnotes in his made-for-TV presidency. After all, each day of Trump’s reign brought a new horror, courtesy of his tweets alone: From his announcing that transgender people would no longer be allowed to serve in the military to risking provoking nuclear war with North Korea, it was difficult to focus on the past when the present was so scary. But time doesn’t heal all wounds, and Carroll, a writer and advice columnist, has continued to speak up against Trump.
Despite Trump’s lawyer’s assertion that Carroll made her accusations “to sell a book and for political reasons,” there has never been an apparent upside for a woman to speak out against a powerful man. For every Harvey Weinstein and R. Kelly, there are other abusers who continue to walk freely, often to the continued detriment of their accusers.
Comedy duo Dana Min Goodman and Julia Wolov said their accusations of sexual misconduct against comedian Louis C.K. ruined their careers: “Guys were backing away from us,” Wolov told The New York Times. “We could already feel the backlash.” And though Anita Hill didn’t have the same problem finding work after she made accusations against future Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas (accusations Thomas denies), she…
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