If you type in BrettKavanaugh.com into your web browser, you will not arrive at a personal website describing the newly-appointed Supreme Court justice's professional history. In a huge banner splashed across the page, you will instead see a message:"We Believe Survivors."
"The start of Brett Kavanaugh’s tenure on the Supreme Court may look like a victory for one interest group or another," the homepage reads. "But, more importantly, it is putting a national focus on the issue of sexual assault — and how we as a country can and should do more to prevent it and to support those who have experienced it."
"This past month, thousands of survivors came forward to tell their stories," the page's statement continues. "We applaud your bravery. We believe you. And if you are seeking additional resources, these groups can offer assistance."
The website has links to the National Sexual Violence Resource Center, a national organization that connects survivors of sexual violence with local resources; End Rape of Campus, a resource for students who are victims of sexual assault; and the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network, which operates a sexual assault hotline. All of these groups share a commitment to preventing and ultimately ending the pervasiveness of sexual violence, in all forms.
The BrettKavanaugh.com domain was purchased by Gabe Roth, executive director of Fix the Court, a non-partisan organization that seeks to hold Supreme Court justices accountable, according to a statement posted to the group's website.
Roth wrote that he bought several URLs three years ago that he thought might be pertinent for upcoming Supreme Court confirmation battles. Among those he secured were BrettKavanaugh.com, BrettKavanaugh.net and BrettKavanaugh.org.
"I am redirecting those three to a landing page with resources for victims of sexual assault. I believe Dr. Ford. I believe Prof. Hill," he revealed Tuesday. "I also believe that asking for forgiveness is a sign of maturity and strength, not weakness."
READ MORE: Feminists won't back down: What's next for #MeToo after the Kavanaugh vote?
The testimony of Dr. Christine Blasey Ford, who spoke under oath before the Senate Judiciary Committee and in front of the nation, about a night more than 30 years ago when she alleges that Kavanaugh attempted to rape her, did not ultimately thwart the judge's confirmation to the highest court in the land. But, like Professor Anita Hill 27 years before her, Ford's willingness to step forward with claims against one of the most powerful men in the country is likely to have lasting effects on the American conscience.
Leaders of the #MeToo movement published an open letter Wednesday to Ford, calling her a "new hero" and pledging to her that her "sacrifice was not made in vain."
"We witnessed you show up for duty, not as a superhero, but as a fully human woman. You showed us that a new hero — the kind of heroism called for in this moment — is a woman facing the patriarchy with no weapons other than her voice, her body and the truth," the letter said. "Our generation has found in you what those before us found in Professor Anita Hill."
The letter was signed by Tarana Burke, the #MeToo movement's founder; Amanda de Cadenet, the founder of Girlgaze, a network connecting women creatives to job opportunities; Glennon Doyle, author and activist; and actresses and activists Tracee Ellis Ross and America Ferrera.
Burke wrote on Twitter that she had been trying to grapple with her feelings following Kavanaugh's confirmation. She could only imagine how Ford must feel if women across the country had felt so pummeled by the news. Since Ford's lawyers have said that her family is still unable to live at home and continue to receive "unending" death threats, Burke and her friends and fellow activists wrote the psychology professor a "love letter."
"The result of your testimony runs deeper and wider than who sits on that court seat," the letter said. "You showed a world of discounted people what courage looks like. You showed us that survival is ongoing and that the journey, while fraught, is also essential. You reminded us that we are neither powerless nor alone because we have the truth — and we have each other."
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