New York Times Ad Lists 1,600 Men Supporting Dr. Christine Ford

Last updated on September 30th, 2018 at 01:51 pm

A full-page advertisement in The New York Times on Wednesday lists the names of 1,600 men giving support to Brett Kavanaugh accuser Dr. Christine Ford. In a courageous move, Dr. Ford was the first woman to bring sexual assault allegations against Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh.

“In 1991, 1,600 African-American women took out a full-page ad in the @nytimes to show support for Anita Hill.
In today’s NYT, 1600 male allies, in a crowdfunded effort, place a full-page ad in support of Anita Hill and Christine Blasey Ford.”

To get more stories like this, subscribe to our newsletter The Daily.

The Times advertisement reads as follows:

“We are 1,600 men who now stand behind Professor Anita Hill, as well as Dr. Christine Blasey Ford, because we believe them.”

“As men who are allies in the fight to end violence and harassment against women and girls, we write to express our strong support of Dr. Christine Blasey Ford for her willingness to speak out publicly and testify before the Senate about the sexual assault that she says was perpetrated against her by Judge Brett M. Kavanaugh.”

Ford went public with her accusations against Kavanaugh in an interview with The Washington Post earlier this month, in which she claimed she was sexually assaulted by Kavanaugh while they were at a high school party in the 1980s.

Kavanaugh has denied the allegations. On Monday, he went public with his denials, appearing with his wife during primetime on Fox News.

Since Ford went public with her account, two other women have also come forward with allegations of sexual misconduct against Kavanaugh, which he has also denied.

Money to cover the costs of the ad in the Times was raised by The Phenomenal Woman Action Campaign. The ad shows the names of the 1,600 men along with their respective cities around a box in the center of the page that reads:

“We believe Anita Hill. We also believe Christine Blasey Ford.”

The advertisement “demands that both Dr. Blasey Ford and her story be treated fairly, impartially, and with respect” and calls for “all men of good will to stand with us to ensure that Dr. Blasey Ford’s story is carefully and fully examined without bias or prejudice.”

The advertisement is very similar to the message of an ad placed in The New York Times in 1991, which featured 1,600 women in support of Anita Hill, the woman who accused then-Supreme Court nominee Clarence Thomas of sexual harassment in the 1990’s.

Although Kavanaugh and Ford will testify before the Senate Judiciary Committee today it appears that the nominee is currently short of the votes needed for his confirmation.

Leo Vidal

I am a lifelong Democrat with a passion for social justice and progressive issues. I have degrees in writing, economics and law from the University of Iowa.