Before I start, a heads up for those that don’t follow me on Twitter: my laptop was stolen earlier this week so I’m forced to try and type this post on my phone. I’m trying to get a new one as soon as possible, any donations to my PayPal at templar895@gmail.com are greatly appreciated.

Thank you.

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I know I said I was giving up writing, but I have witnessed something this evening I simply cannot accept silently.

Earlier today the head of Cards Against Humanity, Max Temkin, posted a blog simply titled “gossip.”

http://blog.maxistentialism.com/post/91476212698/this-is-a-blog-post-thats-incredibly-confusing

In it he addresses a public accusation of sexual assault by a woman he went to college with. He flat out denies it and writes it off as “baseless gossip” that he cannot defend himself from, just after acknowledging he could easily sue her for libel and writing a lengthy blogpost with heavily gendered, weighted language attempting to get ahead of the story.

Max then declares first thing moving forward that he will remain a (self-declared) feminist.

Since this post I have seen a legion of almost exclusively men, fans of the wildly successful Cards Against Humanity, extend their support to Max.

I have, in my time, seen plenty of women speak out against self-declared male feminists, abusers appropriating feminist rhetoric, and the daily incidents of harassment against women who dare to speak out.

We also know that false rape accusations are a rarity, especially considering the statistics (again, I’m on a phone, and I’m not too good with linking on this thing) of just how few rapists actually see prison time, and the horrors inflicted upon women who do dare to speak out.

I would like to think of myself as someone who at least tries to think logically, and I don’t see the benefit a woman would gain from making false rape accusations ten years after they last spoke - I see the consequences: harassment, death and rape threats, her words being written off as simple “gossip” and “drama.”

Gossip and drama have been used time and time again to degrade women speaking out against men, to belittle and insult women for daring to speak up, and to be frank, a man who declares himself a feminist should fucking know better.

Accusations of sexual assault are not “gossip.”

Men declaring themselves feminists, especially after being accused of sexual assault and referring to adult women as “girls,” is not at all acceptable.

Gaggles of men rushing to support a man referring to his accusations of rape as baseless “gossip” is horrifyingly unacceptable.

I hope Max’s accuser gets the support and justice she needs.

And frankly, deserves.