Yesterday, the jury sided with Taylor Swift in her sexual assault case against a man who groped her during a photo-op.
Former radio DJ David Mueller was ordered to pay Swift $1 in damages for what the singer described as “a definite grab. A very long grab” during a photo shoot on her Red tour.
Following the jury’s verdict, Swift said that she wanted to help other assault victims who felt that they could not speak out.
“My hope is to help those whose voices should also be heard. Therefore, I will be making donations in the near future to multiple organizations that help sexual assault victims defend themselves.”
She also said that she recognised her own privilege in being able “to shoulder the enormous cost” of defending herself in an assault trial.
Swift’s win of $1 has been said to be purely symbolic – and it is.
It is not just symbolic of the fact that she has won the case against the man who touched her inappropriately (and then tried blame her because he lost his job).
It is symbolic of the fact that women do not usually win these kinds of cases… or enter into them at all.
The obvious thing to do when faced with a sexual assault is to report it.
In an ideal world, that’s what we would all do. Our report would be filed, our evidence would be clear, and justice would be served.
Instead, in the real world, assault victims are often asked what they were drinking, what they were wearing, and whether their actions suggested that they wanted to be touched, groped, or raped.
They are often told that it could take years for their case to go to trial, that their perpetrator’s career is more important than their allegation, and that they might be better off just to drop all charges.
They are often told that nothing will come of their complaint.
According to Ultraviolet, less than half of all reported rapes in the States are actually reported.
As well as this, many students in the US believe that up to half of reported rapes are false.
In reality, the number is thought to stand between two and eight percent.
It is not surprising then that so many victims of sexual assault decide not to report – whether it be out of fear of not being believed or the chance that nothing will be done anyway.
Back in 2014, pop star Kesha filed a lawsuit against her producer Dr. Luke. She accused him of sexual assault, battery, and forced drug use that she alleged had been occurring since she signed to his label.
During the case, Kesha was told by Sony that she could not work with other music producers.
Her career was essentially put on hold while the world decided whether they thought she had been abused or not.
Kesha eventually dropped her charges against Dr. Luke, stating that the “lawsuit (has been) so heavy on my once free spirit, and I can only pray to one day feel that happiness again.”
Her first album in five years, Rainbow, was released last week.
Swift broke her social media silence today to like a post on Tumblr.
It told of a father who brought his daughter to witness the singer’s trial because he wanted to show her that she was an “Alpha” too.
Swift may have had the money to afford such a high profile case, photographic evidence to prove her allegation, and an army of supportive fans who never doubted her, but her win was still a win.
And that symbolic $1 will hopefully go a long way.
