A message to everyone except Brittany Higgins

Cancel culture may be noisy, but real accountability remains rare, especially for survivors of sexual assault, writes Kate Zarb.

WHENEVER I HEAR a conservative whinge about “cancel culture”, I find it difficult to stop my eyes automatically rolling back into my skull.

You know the script: someone is caught doing something heinous, the story spreads like wildfire on social media, the word “boycott” is trending on Twitter*, and certain people will argue the predictable “it was a different time”, “it was taken out of context”, and the ever-repeated “they’re doing it for the attention”.

The reason I find it so unbearably pedestrian is that it was conservatives who invented cancel culture in the first place. They have different names for it: book banning, book burning, witch trials, shunning. But the methods and purpose have always been the same — to control and silence those who challenge the status quo.

Public pile-ons are usually fuelled by ignorance and pack mentality, but there have been times – albeit few and far between – when a large-scale public shunning has been good for all of us.

In the early years of the American War of Independence, those loyal to the British King were publicly shunned by their communities. The message was clear — support independence, or live somewhere else. In this instance, I think Americans would say it was a net good.

Reynolds, Lehrmann and the business of reputation reparations

Managing editor Michelle Pini discusses legal stouches and reputations following Linda Reynolds' defamation win against former staffer Brittany Higgins.

Likewise, the royal family’s recent excommunication of the Andrew formerly known as Prince is a form of public shunning, sending a message to both the commoners and the other royals: tarnish the brand and you’re out.

And closer to home, the Australian public seems to have gotten it right in its collective decision to cancel Bruce Lehrmann.

Since his criminal trial was aborted, two judges have handed down the finding that he did indeed sexually assault Brittany Higgins, just as she claimed. In attempting to “retrieve his hat”, Lehrmann inadvertently gave Miss Higgins a gift, however inadequate. He’s not only vindicated her claims, but has shown the entire country what kind of man he really is.

Nothing will be easy for Bruce Lehrmann from now on. It didn’t have to be this way — his name would’ve been almost forgotten had he taken his miraculous second chance and buggered off back to Texas. But Bruce isn’t just a rapist; he’s also vindictive. He didn’t just want to win; he wanted revenge and it’s been his downfall.

So while Brittany Higgins will never receive justice, she does get to see karma dished out to the man who changed her life for the worse.

But that’s far more than most survivors get to see.

The overwhelming majority of sexual assault perpetrators don’t face consequences. There are no lost job opportunities or blemishes on their “impressive academic records”. Even in cases where there is enough evidence to prosecute and witnesses are credible, violent predators are still able to savage the reputations and mental health of their survivors in court, and too often, convince a jury that there just isn’t enough evidence to convict.

And they’re just the ones who make it to court.

Every year, thousands of sexual assaults go unreported or unprosecuted in Australia. Sometimes, even the most earnest officers of the law can’t find enough hard evidence to secure a conviction. Sometimes, the police view the complainant as a troublemaker, so the survivors themselves – both men and women – often find the process so intimidating and traumatising that they can’t follow through with it.

Brittany Higgins' new role is the start of a system overhaul

Brittany Higgins isn’t a hero for enduring rape, but for speaking out about it over voices determined to drown hers out.

This last group, which is statistically the largest, chooses to suffer largely in silence, confiding in friends and, hopefully, professional therapists, because seeking justice the “proper” way is just too terrifying.

And much of the time, their pessimistic outlook is justified.

I know people – both men and women – who have been victims of sexual assault and there either wasn’t enough hard evidence, or the process was so traumatising that the survivors couldn’t go through with it. There will be no public shunning or “cancelling” of their attackers.

And that’s why I want to speak to every survivor who’s not Brittany Higgins and tell you: I believe you. And so do millions more. We believe you when you tense up at the mention of a particular name. We believe you when you avoid certain topics, locations and people. We believe you when you tell us that there were no signs. We believe you when you tell us what a Nice Person™ your attacker was beforehand — because they’re all Nice People™ until they feel safe enough not to be.

Just as no fish would swallow a hook if they could see what was under the bait, we wouldn’t trust dangerous people if they didn’t try so hard to hide their true natures. The facades they create are elaborate, clever and calculated, and you’re not stupid for falling for it. They fool most of us, too.

So if you’ve watched Brittany Higgins’ story play out (or tried to avoid it) and wished for a similar karmic intervention on your attacker, I can’t give you that.

But I can promise that if you ever choose to speak about what they did, I will believe you.

And so will millions of us.

*While Elon Musk continues to deadname transgender people, I will continue to deadname the website he paid too much money for. I do not apologise.

Kate Zarb is an exhausted Gen X woman who just wants the world to be a better place. She has worked in everything from hospitality to politics, using each chapter as an opportunity to learn about the world we live in. You can follow Kate on Bluesky @kathoftarragon.bsky.social.