During the testimony of Christine Blasey Ford and Brett Kavanaugh Thursday, Candace Faber, a 35-year-old Seattle woman, was inspired to come out about an assault of her own.
Hey
survivors! Raise your hand if your assailant was:
- a good student
- a football player
- a guy with female friends
I’ll go first! Yes, duh - and the above were cited by my high school vice principal as reasons not to believe me.
— Candace Faber (@candacefaber) September 27, 2018
I was a great student too, but my trophies were for nerdy things like debate, not sports.
This is not about credibility. It never has been. It’s about what people want to be true. #StopKavanagh
— Candace Faber (@candacefaber) September 27, 2018
Also: Is anyone else just fed up and ready to name names? Because I am!
— Candace Faber (@candacefaber) September 27, 2018
If it’s bad that Blasey Ford waited to raise this until Kavanaugh got to the highest levels of government, then maybe the rest of us shouldn’t sit on our secrets just crossing our fingers that they won’t come into more power.
— Candace Faber (@candacefaber) September 27, 2018
So okay, let’s do it. @senatorfain, you raped me the night I graduated from Georgetown in 2007. Then you had the audacity to ask me to support your campaign. I’ve been terrified of running into you since moving home and seeing your name everywhere.
I’m done being silent.
— Candace Faber (@candacefaber) September 27, 2018
I’m done playing games in my head of how I’d react if I ran into you at a social or political event.
I’m done leaving rooms when your name is mentioned.
I’m done being scared.
— Candace Faber (@candacefaber) September 27, 2018
The "Senator Fain" Faber refers to is Joe Fain, a member of the Washington State Legislature. In a statement posted on Medium, Faber explains her decision to name her alleged attacker:
Until recently, I withheld my rapist’s name, even in private conversations. I hoped that I could help change the culture of sexual assault without needing to say his name. I no longer believe that to be the case. We cannot heal without accountability.
Like Dr. Ford, I can no longer remain silent knowing that the man who raped me is in a position to influence the laws that govern my state and impact every woman who lives here. I do not believe that survivors have a civic duty to speak out. I believe that we have a civic duty to believe survivors.
Throughout our history, women who have spoken up about sexual assault have been threatened, defamed, gaslighted, had their character and sanity called into question, and been blocked from opportunities. It is time for that to change.
While this is may be first time Faber has publicly named her alleged rapist, she's written about her sexual assault before. In an essay posted online in June, she wrote, "I believe that our bodies can heal, but that this takes the other parties taking responsibility. I hope we can, as a culture, choose that path forward over the current approach of 'leaving it to the courts,' which only serve to create more harm. Also, while I intentionally do not name my assailant, I will note that he continues to serve in the Washington State legislature. I do not know whether he has assaulted other women as he did me. If you read this, and my story sounds similar to yours, please reach out. I do not aim to take legal action — I believe we need a collective reckoning, not imprisonment of individuals, to achieve justice — but I have found that validation and solidarity with other survivors matters."
In a text message to the Seattle Times, which first reported this story, Fain said: “I absolutely deny what Ms. Faber is accusing me of. Any allegation of this serious nature deserves to be heard and investigated for all parties involved. I invite and will cooperate with any inquiry. I ask everyone to show respect to Ms. Faber and to the process.”
Fain, a moderate Republican, represents the 47th legislative district. He is up for re-election this year, running against Democratic challenger Mona Das. Faber, according to her website, is a writer, communications strategist, and entrepreneur based in Seattle, as well as a 2007 graduate of Georgetown, where she says the assault took place.