'Boys will be boys' is no longer an excuse

Last fall, thousands of women took to social media to join the #MeToo movement, publicly professing the most intimate and horrible moments of their lives to show the widespread epidemic of sexual abuse.

Today, a man accused of sexual harassment and assault remains the president's Supreme Court nominee.

The #MeToo movement has done nothing if a man accused of these crimes still is being considered for the one of the highest positions in the U.S.

Brett Kavanaugh is being defended by people who say their acceptance of Ford's accusations as truth could ruin his life. They are defending him by saying he was just a kid when he assaulted Ford. That it was just a few minutes. That he doesn't deserve the criticism he is now facing. That boys will be boys.

Kavanaugh, who has denied the assault, defends himself by saying 'What happens at Georgetown Prep, stays at Georgetown Prep.'

Meanwhile, Ford's life was ruined the moment he touched her without her consent. She was just a kid at the time too. Those few minutes will permeated the rest of her life. She didn't deserve to be assaulted in the first place. Ford's innocence and childhood was taken that night.

Ford is being criticized for not bringing her assault to light sooner. Author Simcha Fisher wrote on her website that when a woman says, 'This man raped me a lot time ago,' the public response is 'But that was in the past.' When a girl says, 'This boy raped me last night,' the response is, 'But we can't wreck his future.'

'And there she stands, suspended between his past and his future, with no value of her own,' Fisher wrote.

Girls are taught from the time they are born that if a boy is bothering them to just brush it off because he is trying to bother them and ignoring him is easier than correcting his behavior.

Girls are told it is easier to teach them to bear the microaggressions than teach boys that girls are just as worthy of their human rights as they are.

After the #MeToo movement, a national survey showed that more than 80 percent of women have been sexually harassed or assaulted, according to Vox. The most common type of harassment was verbal.

This casual, everyday sexual abuse has deadly consequences. It allows for the continual lie that women are less than and that their bodies are not their own but belong to men.

That's the thinking that lead to the end of Iowa State University student Celia Barquin Arozamena's life. The suspect who murdered her reportedly said he 'had an urge to rape and kill a woman.' Arozamena was golfing alone in the morning, something she probably did quite frequently as a top amateur golfer from Spain and student golfer.

Mollie Tibbetts died while jogging alone in the early evening hours when she disappeared, allegedly after being catcalled by her soon-to-be murderer and threatening to call the police when he wouldn't leave her alone.

In an article posted to Axios earlier this week titled '1 big thing: The dangers men don't see,' the author wrote, 'It's not a new phenomenon for women to feel unsafe being outdoors by themselves, but recent instances are reminders of how often women feel targeted or singled-out … This ranges from catcalling on the street, to harassment in the office, all the way to physical violence against people who are just trying to live their lives.'

One of my friends posted on Facebook the other day pleading that everyone would work together on addressing toxic masculinity and male violence because she doesn't 'want to be afraid to run outside by myself during my half marathon training.'

'These recent tragedies reflect … incidents where women in Iowa have been harassed, assaulted or scared while by themselves outside,' she continued. 'We deserve better. I deserve better.'

Men, when you walk back to your car after nightfall, do you clench your keys between your fingers for a makeshift iron fist? Do you glance over your shoulder? Are you scared for your life?

I mourn Celia Barquin Arozamena and Mollie Tibbetts.

I believe Christine BLASEY Ford.