Sometimes I just know when a story is going to be a big deal. Sometimes I don’t. When I first read Heather Lind’s account of being assaulted by former president George H.W. Bush, I thought “well, it’s an interesting story but I bet the reaction will be a dozen comments saying ‘he’s too old and sick to really do any damage’.” I breezed off my post on the story and I was shocked that so many people felt so strongly about it. I think the kicker was that H.W.’s spokesperson issued a statement and apology about it – we can say “I believe women,” but the fact that Bush’s guy apologized (for “joking”) “proved” that something happened. As it turns out, we’re getting confirmations all over the place, especially from the other men who were there:
Re: @heatherglind & ex-Pres. Bush, her account is 100% accurate. I was there. It was not a "joke" gone awry. @westratenick
— Alexander Rose (@AlexRoseWriter) October 25, 2017
My full support for @heatherglind for speaking out about the horrible event in Houston. All of which is true.
— Kevin McNally (@exkevinmcnally) October 25, 2017
Love & Support to our dear friend @heatherglind.
Grit and grace as ever from one of the best actors I've ever worked with.— Burn Gorman (@burngorman) October 25, 2017
Those are tweets from Heather’s costars and coworkers on Turn, all of whom were at the event four years ago. I also read a tweet-thread from someone who heard about the story second-hand when it happened, and apparently it was a big deal, and people noticed it happening. It was not something H.W. Bush did in the shadows, away from witnesses. People witnessed it and they were “disgusted.” Here’s the photo where the group posed together:
Heather Lind accuses ex-President George H.W. Bush of sexual assault #daily #news https://t.co/N2rgjT6ckX pic.twitter.com/lIsh7e8wDw
— Daily News (@DailyNews57) October 25, 2017
Photos courtesy of Getty.
God, how awful for her. What an a-hole. “JOKING”. Fuck that, it’s like when you’re verbally assaulted and that’s just “BANTER.” Fuck off. Team Heather all the way. (And gosh, she looks so much like Emmy Rossum!)
I guess it isn’t dementia. He’s admitted doing it before.
My shocker is the Mark Halperin charges by five women. I watch him on Morning Joe all the time and loved Game Change. He always gives great commentary on MJ. I am shocked and disappointed and weirded out by this.
Men with power (real or perceived) feel they can just grab or touch without consent or make insulting comments toward women and men. It’s assault.
I’ve experienced it too in my 20s and 30s and it’s unsettling at the very least and the shock and self blame stay with you for a very long time.
KEEP.
IT.
COMING.
I am amazed, and proud of every woman who is doing this. I also think it’s funny (and not in an amusing way!) to watch certain men now say, okay, we get it, we’re tired of hearing about it. BECAUSE WE’RE ALL TIRED OF BEING ASSAULTED ALL THE TIME. Let’s shout and talk and scream and speak about it until they’re sooooooo sick of the *struggle* of listening to us that they stop doing it, and stop other men from doing it.
Turns out attempts to appeal to the human nature of most men were wrong. We needed to annoy them into stopping and stopping others. So let’s do it.
Couldn’t have said it any better! These pigs need to at least have their names publicly shamed (since there’s no way they’re going to pay).
Yes
Handwoven, YES, YES, YES to your great comments. You said it great!!
For the love of G*d, does no one, anywhere, have any sense of shame or decency? George F*cking H. Wtf. Bush! And if it’s true that Barbara Bush Sr. just rolled her eyes, well that’s on her too.