In his response to an independent investigation that found he had sexually harassed 11 women, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo cited the sexual assault on a member of his family, to explain his behavior towards one of the women who accused him him, Charlotte Bennett. This element of his statement was widely criticized by former victims of sexual assault, by activists advocating for victims, and even by public relations experts in crisis situations. The governor apologized to only two of his accusers, which was publicly rejected by one of them. Andrew Cuomo emphatically denied the allegations that he had touched someone inappropriately. The founder of the #MeToo movement, Tarana Burke, said that Cuomo “cannot use someone else’s trauma as his shield.” Supporters of the women’s cause say Mr Cuomo should take responsibility.
He said his actions were misunderstood and his words were misinterpreted. Andrew Cuomo said that his behavior comes from Italian culture, where people hug, kiss and say “Ciao, bella”.
But of all Governor Cuomo’s responses after the investigative report that he sexually harassed 11 women, one of them worries many women – especially sexual assault survivors and their advocates – the use of sexual assault on a member of his family, to explain his conduct to one of the accusers.
“We are not affected by Governor Cuomo’s attempts to use survivors’ stories, including those he harassed, as a shield against his misconduct and abuse of power, while claiming the harassment was a ‘misunderstanding,'” he said. an open letter, to be published Thursday by the National Center for the Law on Women and several gender and sexually assault survivors seeking the resignation or removal of the Democratic governor.
Tarana Burke, a supporter of the women’s cause that gave the #MeToo movement its name, wrote in an email to The Associated Press that “the attitude of the abuser, regardless of his personal history, should not be at the center of abuse cases.”
“In these moments, it is the survivors’ stories that need to be heard,” Ms Burke said. “There are 11 women, whose stories were confirmed, who were harassed by the governor. “His family history does not justify him and he can not use someone else’s trauma as a shield.”
The allegations, which investigators said they substantiated, range from inappropriate comments to forced kisses and threats.
In a statement recorded Tuesday, Mr. Cuomo denied having touched anyone inappropriately, but apologized to two of the accusers, including former employee Charlotte Bennett. He said he had asked Miss Bennett about her love life in an attempt, as he put it, misunderstood, to help her cope with the trauma of a past sexual assault. He spoke of a family member, the same age, who had been sexually assaulted in high school.
“I thought I could help her through a difficult period,” the governor told Miss Bennett.
Emily Martin, vice president for education and justice at NWLC, said Governor Cuomo “was alluding to the fact that he was a hero to sexual assault survivors, which is a particularly disturbing act, given all that this report has proven.”
“In some ways it reminds me of the ‘father of girls’ comments we hear from so many men in power,” said Ms Martin, “who we have to trust because they probably care about these issues based on their personal family relationships.”
Ms. Bennett herself called Mr. Cuomo’s pardon “empty.”
“If he regrets it, resign. This is how accountability works, “she told the AP news agency shortly after his statement.
Explaining further on Wednesday on an ABC program, Bennett said: “He hinted that survivors of trauma and sexual assault could not distinguish between counseling and sexual harassment per se, which is not only offensive to “me, but for every survivor who hears it,” she said.
Marissa Hoechstetter was one of those survivors of sexual harassment. She said she was saddened by Mr Cuomo’s reference to the attack on his family relative “because I do not want to minimize these experiences”. But he added, “Two things can be true. “You may have someone in your family who has been sexually assaulted, and you may also have caused the assault yourself.”
Deborah Tuerkheimer, a law professor at Northwestern University who specializes in sexual misconduct, sees Governor Cuomo’s comments as part of a larger strategy to discredit his accusers and save his political career.
“We often have in mind a number of old prejudices about abusers, thinking of them as ‘monsters’, without any redemptive reason,” says Professor Tuerkheimer. “Whenever an accused looks different from this ‘imaginary monster’, we are more inclined to doubt whether the accusations against him are true. “And accused men often strategically use this cultural bias, emphasizing, as evidence of their innocence, their best qualities – including, perhaps, empathy for victims of sexual assault.”
For Indira Henard, director of the Rape Crisis Center, the issue against Governor Cuomo’s statement is simple: You cannot support survivors in one sentence and discredit them in another.
“If you support and believe in the survivors, then believe in the survivors,” said Ms Henard. “You do not have to change their history.”
Many people also questioned the effectiveness of other parts of Governor Cuomo’s recorded statement, which was accompanied by the display of some photos of him embracing and kissing people in various settings.
“I kiss people on the forehead,” he said. “I kiss her on the cheek. I kiss her hand. I hug them. In some cases I say, ‘Ciao, bella’ “, says the governor in the recorded video.
Evan Nierman, CEO and president of Red Banyan, a Florida-based public relations firm based in Florida and Washington, DC, called this a “bold move” by Cuomo, claiming to often hug and kiss, and therefore none of “The allegations cannot be true.” But..
“There is a big difference between proper physical contact and the types of charges that were brought against the governor,” Mr Nierman said. “I do not think most people will confuse the two.”
Deborah Tannen, professor of linguistics at Georgetown University who studies intercultural communication, noted Mr. Cuomo’s reference to his family heritage. She acknowledged that Italian-Americans tend to be casual about talking, “but not about sex.”
From crisis communication experts to survivors, many agree that Mr. Cuomo’s political future looks elusive. For New York and its accusers to leave this story behind, they say, the governor must be held accountable.
“In short, he must resign,” said Henard, adding that if he did not do so, he would be fired. “There is no turning back.”
