On Tuesday, define famous actor and activist, Terry Crews, spoke in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee to testify about his own experience with sexual assault and to advocate for the Sexual Assault Survivors’ Bill of Rights. According to GQ, the actor voiced his support for The Sexual Assault Bill of Rights, a proposed bill in part drafted by Nobel Peace Prize nominee Amanda Nguyen, which would guarantee covering the cost of rape kits for survivors, and keeping them updated on new forensic evidence, among other things. The Sexual Assault Survivors’ Bill of Rights would codify certain rights for people reporting assault, like having their rape kits preserved and forensic testing subsidized, in all 50 states.
During the meeting, Crews detailed his experience of alleged sexual assault by WME agent Adam Venit. He stated, “This is how toxic masculinity permeates culture… As I shared my story, I was told over and over that this was not abuse. This was just a joke. This was just horseplay. But I can say one man’s horseplay is another man’s humiliation. And I chose to tell my story and share my experience to stand in solidarity with millions of other survivors around the world.”
Later, California Senator Dianne Feinstein went on to ask Crews why he didn't physically retaliate during the assault because he is such a “strong man.” Crews responded “Senator, as a black man in America, you only have a few shots at success. You only have a few chances to make yourself a viable member of the community. I’m from Flint, Michigan. I have seen many young black men who were provoked into violence, and they're in prison, or they were killed. And they’re not here.”
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