In her op-ed Thursday, Sofie Karasek argued that former Vice President Joe Biden’s past work on behalf of sexual assault survivors gave him less leeway to claim ignorance on the issue | Cindy Ord/Getty Images for It's On Us Politics Another woman accuses Biden of encroaching on personal space

Yet another woman has come forward to accuse former Vice President Joe Biden of inappropriate physical contact.

Sofie Karasek, an advocate for sexual assault survivors, penned an op-ed in The Washington Post Thursday detailing the backstory behind a viral photo of herself and Biden after the 2016 Oscars, the “sense of shame and belittlement” she began to feel about it and calling for Biden to take greater responsibility for his overly physical behavior in the past.


Karasek had just appeared onstage at the Academy Awards alongside survivors of sexual assault and advocates while Lady Gaga performed a song from a documentary about assault on college campuses. Biden had introduced the group, and Karasek wrote that afterward she told him the story of a woman who days before had died by suicide after being sexually assaulted.

In response to her story, Karasek wrote, Biden “leaned down, took my hands and put his forehead to mine.”

“I was taken aback. I averted my eyes, hoping my body language could shorten the interaction. I didn’t think he was going to kiss me, but it felt like if I met his eyes, it wasn’t out of the question, either,” she continued. “It was unwelcome, uncomfortable and strange. At the same time, I was glad to convey this serious message to him, glad it seemed to resonate with him.”

Karasek said that after a photo of the interaction went viral, the parents of the woman she told Biden about were able to pursue justice, which made her conflicted about her discomfort with the moment.

At least half a dozen women have come forward in the past week to accuse Biden of touching them in ways they said were inappropriate and unwelcome, setting off a conversation in the wake of the #MeToo movement about respecting others’ personal space.

Biden’s penchant for an especially tactile style of politicking has been well-documented throughout his career but has come in recent weeks to be seen in a new light. The accusations of inappropriate contact threaten to cloud the kickoff of Biden's expected run for president as some argue that the former vice president has not responded adequately.

Biden remained quiet, responding to the women only through spokespeople, until Wednesday, when he posted a video on Twitter acknowledging that “social norms have begun to change.” He vowed to be “more mindful and respectful” of personal boundaries, but many were quick to point out he never directly apologized.

In her op-ed Thursday, Karasek argued that Biden’s past work on behalf of sexual assault survivors gave him less leeway to claim ignorance on the issue.

“It’s precisely because he has been active on this for so long that he should have realized much earlier that he could be making women uncomfortable and that, given his powerful position, women could be holding back from expressing those feelings,” she wrote.

Karasek called on Biden to “truly take ownership” of his behavior toward women, including his treatment of Anita Hill during the Supreme Court confirmation hearing of Clarence Thomas. Biden has recently expressed regret at how he handled her accusations of misconduct against Thomas in the early 90s.

Biden’s “more recent paternalistic behavior was another form of the sexism that for years he worked to oppose,” she said, adding: “Joe Biden often calls on others to have the courage to speak the truth. I hope that he can find it within himself to do the same.”