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People Aren't Happy TIME 100 Honored Brett Kavanaugh Alongside Christine Blasey Ford

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On Wednesday, TIME released its annual “TIME 100” list of most influential people of the year.

Sexual assault survivors and advocates were quick to notice that not only did TIME honor sexual assault survivor Dr. Christine Blasey Ford, the publication also honored her alleged assailant, Judge Brett Kavanaugh.

In September of 2018, Blasey Ford testified in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee that Kavanaugh sexually assaulted her 35 years ago when she was 15 and Kavanaugh was 17. Kavanaugh was later confirmed as a Supreme Court Justice by the U.S. Senate.

Though some of TIME’s annual lists simply reflect people (or fictional characters) who made headlines as opposed to who seems “most deserving,” the TIME 100 list is the opposite.

In the piece, “Here’s How We Chose the 2019 TIME 100,” TIME’s Editor-in-Chief and CEO Edward Felsenthal wrote:

[TIME 100] is a community of hundreds of global leaders, many of whom support and challenge one another. And at a time when so many of our problems require cross-disciplinary solutions, they are also uniquely positioned to effect change.

Social media users took to Twitter to express what kind of message putting Blasey Ford alongside Kavanaugh sends to sexual assault survivors.

In the TIME 100 profile of Blasey Ford, presidential hopeful Kamala Harris wrote of Blasey Ford:

Her story, spoken while holding back tears, shook Washington and the country. Her courage, in the face of those who wished to silence her, galvanized Americans. And her unfathomable sacrifice, out of a sense of civic duty, shined a spotlight on the way we treat survivors of sexual violence.

Seemingly referencing the same events as Harris, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell wrote of Kavanaugh in his TIME 100 profile:

When unhinged partisanship and special interests sought to distract the Senate from considering those qualifications, we saw other facets of Justice Kavanaugh’s character shine forth as well. The country saw his resilience and commitment to public service. We saw his loyal devotion to family and friends. We saw his undeterred reverence for the law, for precedents and for our nation’s highest traditions.

If this news is hard for you, you’re not alone. If you need support right now, here are some resources you can turn to:

Screenshot via TIME Twitter

Originally published: April 18, 2019
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