THE LEORA LETTER

Slut-shaming matters because when people are dismissed as sluts, hoes, and thots, they are denied care and compassion as human beings and in a variety of situations, including when they are sexually harassed, sexually assaulted, victimized by image-based sexual abuse ("revenge porn" and "deepfakes"), and need an abortion.

Trump prosecutor Fani Willis indicted the former president and 18 of his allies for illegally attempting to overturn his 2020 election loss in Georgia. They have responded not by addressing the substance of the investigation but by openly mocking Willis over her sexuality.

Trump has ridiculed Willis' name—properly pronounced FAHN-ee—by intentionally mispronouncing it "fanny, like your ass." Co-defendant and former New York City mayor Rudolph Giuliani called Willis a "hoe" and, like Trump, boasted about intentionally mispronouncing her name.

"I've lived the experience of a Black woman who is attacked and over-sexualized," Willis said in response earlier this month to leaders of the African Methodist Episcopal Church. "See, I'm so tired of hearing these idiots call my name as 'Fanny,' in a way to attempt to humiliate me. Because, like silly schoolboys, the name reminds them of a woman's rear, of her behind."

Trump has a history of publicly trashing prosecutors and judges handling charges brought against him. He attacked Manhattan district attorney Alvin Bragg, the prosecutor who led the criminal hush money case leading to Trump's indictment, for being a "a local failed district attorney" and "psychopath." He bashed New York State Supreme Court Justice Juan Merchan, who presided over the case, as a "partisan hack." He vilified Merchan's daughter for working for a company with ties to Democratic political candidates. He claimed, falsely, that the clerk of Judge Arthur Engoron—presiding over another of Trump's business fraud matters—was the girlfriend of Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, and that therefore there was a political conflict of interest.

Willis is the only one targeted over her sexuality. It appears that she is being attacked in this manner, as she noted, because she is a woman who is Black.

While all women are at risk of being slut-shamed, Black women are at extraordinary risk. Because of misogynoir, the intersection of racism and misogyny named by Moya Bailey, Black women are presumed to be always sexually available—and worthy of ridicule.

Lest one argue that Willis deserves to be called out in this manner because of her relationship with attorney Nathan Wade, whom she had hired to manage the prosecution team, I offer some context.

Trump's lawyers tried to remove Willis from the election interference prosecution, or have the case dismissed, because they argued that she benefitted from a conflict of interest. The judge in this matter ruled that Willis could remain as long as Wade stepped down, which he did, and that while there was no conflict of interest, there was an "appearance of impropriety."

To my mind, Willis exercised poor judgment in having a relationship with Wade while he was working on the Trump election interference case. This weak judgment, though, does not affect the merits of the case and is not a legitimate reason to dismiss her as an attorney or discredit her as a human being.

We can acknowledge Willis' error and also recognize that she does not deserve to be reduced to her sexuality.

The treatment of Willis shines a light on misogynoir. It also is notable because we have yet another example of Trump's brutish behavior toward women. He has been found liable for sexually abusing E. Jean Carroll. He has bragged about grabbing women without consent. He takes credit for the rise of cruel abortion bans that make reproductive health care inaccessible to one-third of American women. Now he openly sexually ridicules Fani Willis. Anyone who respects women knows how to vote in November.

Key takeaway: The slut-shaming of Fani Willis is a stark reminder that while women of all racial identities are slut-shamed, Black women experience a unique form of discrimination because racism combines with sexism in insidious ways.

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