On This Day in Herstory, October 15th 1991 the Senate confirmed Clarence Thomas to the Supreme Court in a 52-48 vote, even after he had been accused of sexual harassment.
This story may sound familiar, because Brett Kavanaugh was just confirmed to the Supreme Court, even after he was accused of sexual assault. These are the similarities between the two events. Two judges, two professors, twenty seven years, and an unfaltering contempt for women throughout.
Both Anita Hill and Christine Blasey-Ford were university professors who initially made their accusations against a Supreme Court nominee confidentially or anonymously, but were then driven by a sense of duty to come forward and speak out against the men who abused them.
In July 2018, Ford accused a drunken, 17-year-old Kavanaugh of attempting to rape her when she was 15, and they were at a house party; she told her story in a letter to her congresswoman who shared it with a member of the Judiciary Committee. Two months later the letter was given to the FBI. Ford went public in an interview, and offerered more details to corroborate her story.
In September 1991, Hill’s story came about as part of a private interview with the FBI, who were asking for details of working conditions with Thomas. She accused Thomas of sexually harassing her and creating a hostile work environment that lasted several years. Hill’s interview was leaked to the press, and in October 1991 she was called to testify.
Both women were questioned by all-male GOP Senators.
Both women were accused of suffering from mental illness or delusions, or making the stories up entirely for their own gain.
Ford provided notes from a 2012 therapy session where she talked about Kavanaugh attacking her; she even brought the results of a polygraph test that showed she was not lying. But she was challenged on her recollection of key details about the incident, like the location of the attack, or why she had waited so long to come forward.
Hill was pressed on the sexually explicit details of her encounters with Thomas, and they sought to undermine her at every turn. They wanted to know why she did not report the harassment, or why she took another job under his supervision. They pointed to a time when Hill drove Thomas to the airport as her consent in the whole situation, or her lying about the harassment.
Both women were poised, calm, and collected.
Both of their attackers cried, yelled, and were generally hostile.
Both women watched as these men were confirmed to the Supreme Court despite their testimonies.
Kavanaugh was confirmed in a 50 to 48 vote.
Thomas was confirmed in a 52 to 48 vote.
After Hill’s testimony the image of an all-white, all-male panel had a lasting impact on the makeup of congress.
1992 was coined the “Year of the Woman,” as a result of the record-shattering number of women who ran for and won seats in Congress. Twenty-four women were elected to the House of Representatives for the first time, and the number of female Senators went from two to six.
2018 is set to become another “Year of the Woman.” 256 women have won primaries to advance to the congressional general elections in November.
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