A jury found Bill Cosby guilty on three counts of sexual assault on Thursday. After a jury failed to reach a verdict last year, the outcome of the retrial represents the first step toward getting justice for his victims, many of whom remained silent for decades.
In recent years, at least 60 women have come forward with stories of being sexually abused, assaulted, or raped by Cosby. However, the 80-year-old has only been found guilty of sexually assaulting one of those women, Andrea Constand, who he drugged and then assaulted in 2004.
The statute of limitations for most of the other women the comedian abused has run out, meaning they will never see their day in court. However, several of the women testified during the trial and have said they feel validated by Constand’s win.
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“I feel like I’m dreaming. Can you pinch me? I feel like my faith in humanity is restored,” Lili Bernard, one of the women Cosby allegedly abused, told MSNBC after the verdict was announced.
After a slew of accusations against powerful men in Hollywood have come out in the last year following the bombshell reports on movie mogul Harvey Weinstein, Cosby is the first to actually be convicted for his crimes. He has not been sentenced yet, but could receive up to 30 years in prison — 10 years for each charge.
Read more: The Very Good Reason People Are Posting ‘Me, Too’ All Over Social Media
Now people are celebrating the verdict for bringing victims of sexual assault everywhere one step closer to justice and restoring the hope that one’s abusers can and will be brought to justice, no matter how powerful they may be.
In a fitting end to Sexual Assault Awareness month, Bill Cosby was found guilty today. Thinking of all the women he traumatized over the past 50 years. As a survivor myself, I know that pain never fully goes away. But I hope that his victims finally feel some semblance of peace.
— Padma Lakshmi (@PadmaLakshmi) April 26, 2018
More importantly, I haven't forgotten about the many women you assaulted and silenced with your power. Good riddance!!! https://t.co/PY4Dl0t1YS
— Larry Wilmore (@larrywilmore) April 26, 2018
Cosby is guilty. I’m sorry if you loved a lie. His victims can now exhale. Thank you judge and jury. Thank you society for waking up.
— rose mcgowan (@rosemcgowan) April 26, 2018
I'm so glad Bill Cosby was found guilty (for obv reasons), but it also makes me sad that over 50 women have had to come forward for this to be taken seriously at all. One survivor should be enough.
— Joanna C. Valente (@joannasaid) April 27, 2018
I just heard someone say how sad it was to see how far Bill Cosby has fallen. Um, no. The only sad thing about Cosby's downfall is how long it took, and the degree to which his wealth & fame insulated him from justice & allowed him to victimize more women. #comeuppance
— Ron Asher (@rmasher2) April 27, 2018
It took decades for Bill Cosby’s accusers to receive justice. This is a message to any survivors out there still in the shadows, afraid of a system that protects elites & ridicules victims, keep fighting & when you’re ready to share your story, we’ll be ready to listen & fight.
— Simar (@sahluwal) April 26, 2018
How about - in the future, in cases like Bill Cosby or Weinstein, these women don't have to devote 15 to 20 years of their lives, fighting to get justice, while being degraded the entire time?
— John Lurie (@lurie_john) April 26, 2018
The effort to hold men accountable for sexual violence cannot end with Bill Cosby. We cannot rest until all survivors of sexual violence receive justice.
— Women's March (@womensmarch) April 26, 2018
In the wake of the #MeToo movement against sexually abuse and assault in the workplace, the jury’s verdict reflects progress in the fight for women’s rights and equal protection by the law. But as Vox’s Anna North points out, the trial itself shows there’s still a ways to go under women are treated fairly by the American justice system when it come to sexual assault accusations.
In both the trial last year and the recent retrial, Cosby’s lawyers used smear tactics and openly victim shamed the women who bravely testified against him — but this time it didn’t work. People have also been quick to point out that the man whose decades of abuse gave rise to the #MeToo movement, producer Harvey Weinstein, has yet to be taken to court and held to account.
Next time someone says #MeToo went too far please remind them that Bill Cosby is the first and ONLY conviction since the beginning of the movement.
— Liz Plank (@feministabulous) April 27, 2018
I find justice very satisfying, even when it is long overdue, as it is for Bill Cosby. It will be even sweeter to see Harvey Weinstein go to prison, for the rest of his life if justice prevails.
— Tony Schwartz (@tonyschwartz) April 26, 2018
You’re next, Harvey. We’re coming for you. All of you. #TimesUphttps://t.co/pW15XLvHmL
— Amber Tamblyn (@ambertamblyn) April 26, 2018
Global Citizen campaigns in support of gender equality and women’s rights. You can take action here to call on those in power to #LeveltheLaw by enacting policies to protect women and girls against sexual violence and amending gender discriminatory policies in legislation.