The Time 100 List Includes Both Christine Blasey Ford and Brett Kavanaugh—and People Have Thoughts

Abby Gardner
It's both cruel and infuriating.

Last fall the nation sat riveted while Christine Blasey Ford and now Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee. Blasey Ford, of course, came forward with allegations of sexual assault against Justice Kavanaugh, which he categorically (and often angrily) denied. The stark contrast between them ignited debate and protests nationwide.

Now the conversation has been reignited thanks to the annual Time list of the 100 Most Influential People, which features both Blasey Ford and Justice Kavanaugh. The inclusion of Blasey Ford spoke to her immense impact on Americans and women in particular. "Her story, spoken while holding back tears, shook Washington and the country," writes senator and 2020 presidential candidate Kamala Harris in a blurb about Blasey Ford. "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…. At her core, she is a teacher. And through her courage, she forced the country to reckon with an issue that has too often been ignored and kept in the dark."

Meanwhile, Senator Mitch McConnell writes about Justice Kavanaugh for the magazine. "[W]hen 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," McConnell insists. "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."

Let's not mince words here: This is infuriating to me—and to many others. Justice Kavanaugh is the embodiment of rich, white, male privilege. It's hard to believe that the magazine would choose to (rightly) honor Blasey Ford's enormous influence while it at the same time lauds her alleged assailant. Writer Jessica Valenti summed it up on Twitter, writing, "TIME magazine profiling Christine Blasey Ford alongside the man who sexually assaulted her is peak 'both sides' and I'm so tired. Here's this incredible brave woman...and the man who tried to rape her!"

And Valenti wasn't the only one to pick up on it. On social media, women once again rallied around Blasey Ford.

Blasey Ford still receives threats and had to move out of her home because she was brave enough to speak her truth and share her pain, in the hopes that justice would be served. Justice Kavanaugh has a permanent and comfortable seat on the Supreme Court. Yes, he is and will be an important person, whose power will in all likelihood have terrible ramifications for women. But thanks to Senate Republicans and his lifetime appointment to the bench, Time will have decades to recognize that influence. It didn't have to be now. It didn't have to be in 2019. His inclusion beside her on the Time list is inexcusable.

The response to Blasey Ford's testimony proved just how much contempt men in power have for women's voices. Time didn't need to emphasize the point.