Posted this afternoon on the Feminist Majority Foundation’s blog in response to the shitstorm over Peg Yorkin’s pro-Polanski statement in the L. A. Times (comments on the FMF’s blog are enabled–I hope you’ll use them).
Statement by Eleanor Smeal, President, Feminist Majority Foundation, On the Arrest of Roman Polanski:
The Feminist Majority Foundation joins our sister feminist organizations in working to ensure rape is prosecuted as the heinous crime that it is, especially against girls. The Feminist Majority Foundation is a leader in the fight to end all forms of violence against women and is demanding the expeditious processing of all back-logged rape kits in the possession of law enforcement authorities so that perpetrators can be brought to justice. The Feminist Majority Foundation believes Roman Polanski should be extradited to the United States to face the consequences of his conviction for raping a 13-year old girl in 1977. No one is above the law. The chair of our board, Peg Yorkin, was quoted in the Los Angeles Times yesterday providing her personal opinion on the matter of Polanski’s arrest, but wants to make clear she condemns rape. Her statement on Polanski’s arrest, however, does not reflect the position of the Feminist Majority Foundation.
In my opinion, this does not go far enough. Peg Yorkin herself must issue a complete retraction and personal apology. More than one commenter here and elsewhere has said she should resign as chair altogether, and I agree. Anyone with the “personal opinion” that society–and law enforcement–should just “let it go” when an adult drugs and rapes a 13-year old has no place in the kind of organization Eleanor Smeal is describing.
She needs to apologize and step down immediately. Her words fill me with disgust. She has degraded the name of feminist.
You’re absolutely right Becky. It doesn’t go far enough, and she should resign.
Last night, on “The Daily Show” I saw Joy Behar be the apologist for Whoopi Goldberg’s “it wasn’t rape-rape” comment by trying to say that Whoopi was trying to split hairs and make some kind of refined legal distinction about the nature of the charge. This stuff makes me crazy. I guess this is where some of the so-called feminists show us their true colors.
Yep, I’m with you. She personally needs to repudiate the statement and resign — this is unacceptable from any feminist, let alone one affiliated with a major activist organization.
I especially like how she “wants to make it clear she condemns rape.”
Kthx, Peg. You get a cookie.
The fact that the chair of the Feminist Majority Foundation had to clarify her views on rape for us is a pretty good indicator of why she shouldn’t be the chair of the Feminist Majority Foundation.
She condemns rape-except in this case. Ok then. Forget it, toots, you’re done.
Someone on an NPR radio show this morning described Polanski as the original 5 foot pole with which you wouldn’t want to touch anything.
You are absolutely right. What she said is inexcusable. >_>
This whole mess has had me in tears off adn on for days now. Peg Yorkin of all people. And no where can we hear the likes of Gloria Steinem or the surviving founders of the Feminist Majority talking except for Ellie Smeal to give a quid pro quo apologia so that we don’t stop funding them!!!
What the younger set doesn’t realize is that people have long had deep sympathy for Polanski as a Jew who survived the Nazi regime. He lost his mother, or shall I call it what it was, she wasn’t lost, but murdered along with MILLIONS of others jews and non jews alike. Then the Horror of the Manson murders, but My GOD, do we not demand that people who are abused, forgo abusing others because we have sympathy? NO we do NOT. Because the instant we do, it is bedlam, and there is no thing such as JUSTICE.
What Peg meant was because the victim of this case no longer cares about prosecuting Polanski, then just let it go. Why punish this guy (who I am sure regrets and has suffered) if this now adult women doesn’t care to. I get Peg’s point here.
I think if the women in case wanted to continue to press charges then Peg would be all for it. She is not saying rape is ok, she was saying in this case the victim has forgiven the guy and has no ill feelings about the incident,so if the victim doesn’t care why should the public care. Peg is seeing this as an individual case, not all cases.
You people have such rigid minds at times.
Why punish this guy (who I am sure regrets and has suffered) if this now adult women doesn’t care to.
BECAUSE HE RAPED A CHILD! He still has to be punished for that crime regardless of whether the victim’s forgiven him.
You people have such rigid minds at times.
Yep, we’re your typical humorless feminists who think rapists should go to jail. Guilty as charged.
The question is…why isn’t the leader of the Feminist Majority Foundation one of us?