Cosby Rape Allegations Still Causing Discussion

With a new special, titled Cosby: The Women Speak, to air on A&E Thursday, September 17, the troubling allegations of rape and sexual abuse against Cosby continue to cause a great deal of discussion and media attention.

In 2004, Andrea Constand filed a lawsuit against Cosby, which also led to Barbara Bowman testifying about her allegations that Cosby had raped her nearly 30 years earlier, as she details in her article for the Washington Post. Bowman wanted very much to testify against Cosby in the Constand lawsuit. However, Cosby settled the case before it ever went to trial. The attention caused by Constand and Bowman did, however, have the effect of setting off a landslide of accusations against Cosby. All told, over 50 women have accused Cosby of various forms of sexual misconduct and abuse.

Many, however, have been very vocal in their support of Cosby, including Damon Wayans, who stated that the accusations against Cosby were simply a “money hoax,” as reported in an earlier Inquisitr article. Wayans’ comments are similar to those made by many other supporters of Cosby, who have resorted to attacking his accusers for not speaking out sooner. Many of the accusations leveled against Cosby extend back some 30 or more years, and defenders of Cosby have attempted to impugn those allegations due to the length of time since the alleged acts occurred. It should be noted, however, that many of these women claim that they did speak up about what Cosby had allegedly done at the time, and were simply brushed off or ignored. Cosby’s iconic status as the all-American dad from the hit television show The Cosby Show was cited by many of these women, including Bowman, as a deterrent from anyone taking them seriously at the time.

These accusations against Cosby have had the effect of opening the discussion among many as to why these women have been seen by many as not being credible when speaking out against the alleged acts carried out by Cosby. Many of the supporters rallying behind Cosby have defended his innocence by speaking on his character as they have known him throughout the years, but until recently, Cosby himself had been silent on the matter. Cosby broke that silence, to some degree at least, in a television interview for ABC News released back in May. However, what little Cosby does offer in that interview sheds no real light on his position in the matter, and seems to be more of a dodge than any sort of actual answer.

[Images via Alex Wong / Getty Images]