I am putting my feelings on paper. Perhaps this will speak only to the audience that already agrees with me, but I hope it will reach further.

As the daughter of a victim of sexual violence, as a friend, as a woman, I am appalled by the nomination of Brett Kavanaugh. From the allegations of sexual assault to his questionable stance on reproductive rights, I find myself furious and revolted.

Some of my best friends are reliving their trauma, exhausted by the viciousness of a news cycle that reminds them over and over again that victims must fight to be believed. Every time I drive out of the parking garage at school, I look around to make sure that it looks like the women in the dimly lit spaces are safe, at least for the moment. I worry for every woman who has to walk alone, even in a city as safe as Portland. It is frightening enough to be a woman. It is exhausting to be aware and afraid, to pray that you are not the next victim in a seemingly inevitable string of victims.

Now we have a man nominated to the nation’s highest court who has an obvious lack of respect for the rights and voices of women. We are already tired from our daily lives. We are already vigilant, already frightened. We are already angry. We have suffered enough. The women of America deserve better. The victims of America deserve better.

Kat Pyburn

Westbrook