Editor's note: Daniel Campoamor is a former TODAY and NBC freelance writer. The views expressed here are her own. Read more opinions on CNN.
CNN —
satin pajamas. Magazine spanking. Missionary position. Sex without a condom.
During Two Days in Manhattan, Stephanie Gregory Clifford, known as Stormy Daniels, detailed her relationship with former President Donald Trump and her alleged sexual encounter with Trump in 2006. Her testimony was part of the Republican presidential candidate's criminal trial on charges of fraudulent business operations. The records were created in an attempt to cover up the alleged reports ahead of the 2016 presidential election.
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Daniel Campoamor
While Daniels was on the stand, and certainly afterwards, newscasters, broadcast correspondents, and political commentators almost universally described her court testimony as “vile,” “vulgar,” and “vulgar.” That was entirely because of her questions and answers about the night Daniels took her stand. She allegedly had sex with the defendant in a hotel suite in Nevada.
Perhaps the headlines aimed at young people shouldn't come as a surprise. The political climate in this country is childish at best, with its lot of name-calling, bossy behavior, and infantile tantrums, and it's certainly childish to think something as normal as sex is inappropriate. It's childish.
However, the media's decision to falsely portray as obscene an adult woman openly discussing alleged sexual contact with an adult man is significant. The words used to characterize Daniels' testimony evoke feelings of something inherently wrong or dirty, but that is not on the part of the defendant, but on the part of the woman who dared to speak out.
Almost half of voters in 2016 thought Trump's sexual assault boast was typical “locker room talk,” but to describe Daniels' testimony as something other than that, a recollection? is hypocritical at best and misogynistic to say the least.
Although the Manhattan criminal case is not directly related to the alleged contact between President Trump and Mr. Daniels, the details of their brief alleged tryst are crucial to the prosecutor's case. In October 2016, following the revelation of the infamous “Access Hollywood” tape in which President Trump bragged about grabbing women without their consent, many years ago, his wife took their son. There may have been accusations that she had an affair right after she gave birth. This further damaged Trump's presidential campaign, which was already controversial at the time.
So Daniels did what prosecutors asked her to do. She carefully described the hotel room where she met with Trump, down to the flooring, furniture, and the contents of Trump's toiletry kit. Daniels described how Trump posed for her in a hotel bed, how she “passed out” during sex, and how she was “shaking” when getting dressed. '' and said that from that point on, he ensured that future meetings with Trump would take place. public.
That detail was critical to establishing Mr. Daniels as a reliable witness. Because just as President Trump has denied all allegations of sexual assault, harassment, and inappropriate sexual behavior, and has demonized the women behind them, he has repeatedly denied having an extramarital affair, and Daniels' appearance… Because it attacked. . President Trump has denied meeting with or knowing his accusers, including E. Jean Carroll, who was convicted of sexual assault, and claims they are too ugly to be victims. As is often the case, Mr. Daniels was not capable of adequately explaining what he was claiming. How enthusiastically Trump agreed before, during, and after he needed it.
The defense no doubt knows this, as does Mr. Trump and perhaps his family. After Daniels testified on March 7, Trump's son Eric described the proceedings in court: “Sneaky show””, only for the mainstream media to regurgitate his claims with over-the-top, hyperbolic headlines.
To no one's surprise, the defense also exploited the apparent xenophobic atmosphere in Daniels' courtroom during cross-examination. The 45-year-old represents a man who has sold and continues to sell NFTs of his likeness and plain steaks emblazoned with his name through strip club appearances, books and interviews, as well as NFTs of his likeness and plain steaks emblazoned with his name. He was accused by his lawyer of “selling himself out.” He will use the ongoing court proceedings to raise campaign funds.
The defense accused Daniels of making up the affair simply because, as an adult entertainer, he had “a lot of experience making false stories about sex seem real.” Her career decisions have been scrutinized and her desire to become more financially successful has been criticized, all of which discredit her based not only on the value of her testimony but also on her innate morality. It looked like an attempt. Similar to the depiction of the alleged encounter, the defense sought to paint Daniels himself as “despicable,” “creepy,” and “vulgar.”
Daniels has repeatedly insisted that he is not a victim. She said in a 2018 interview with CNN's Anderson Cooper that her alleged sexual encounter with President Trump was consensual.
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“This is not 'Me Too,'” she said at the time. “I was never a victim. I never said I was a victim…I never said no.”
But Daniels is undoubtedly a victim of the country's rampant misogyny, on the witness stand, in the news, and, of course, online. Daniels' account of her testimony alone confirms the scarlet letter that society at large places on women like her: women who have chosen a career within the sex industry. Women shamelessly owning and monetizing their sexuality. Women who don't think sex or having sex is morally wrong.
Sex is a normal human act. Countless people are enjoying sex right now (we hope so). What is not normal, despite how normalized it is, is the demonization of women who speak openly and honestly about it.
