Magazine Tells Bold Story of Women Allegedly Raped by Bill Cosby

New York Magazine published a bold feature on Sunday evening, allowing 35 women to tell their traumatizing stories of being sexually assaulted by Bill Cosby.

So far, 46 women have come forward to accuse Bill Cosby of sexual assault, in some cases, according to a recently unsealed deposition, with the aid of quaaludes—a powerful sedative that can render a person functionally immobile. But these allegations are by no means new, with some stretching back decades—to a time when the culture of rape in America left victims little recourse but to suffer silently, and in shame. Today, the way we think and talk about rape has evolved, creating a safer space for survivors to feel empowered by speaking up and reclaiming their victimhood. And that’s led us here. Of the 46 women who have come forward to accuse Cosby, we spoke to 35 of them — “a sorrowful sisterhood” of women united by their dark experiences, steadfast in their resolve to remain silent no more. Read more: nymag.com/cosby-women. 📷: Amanda Demme

A photo posted by New York Magazine (@nymag) on Jul 26, 2015 at 6:05pm PDT

Jewel Allison, one of 35 women interviewed, on allegedly being assaulted by Bill Cosby: http://t.co/2TzQQix6aY pic.twitter.com/fVUQGs9mZ3

— New York Magazine (@NYMag) July 27, 2015

Cosby: the women, an unwelcomed sisterhood, written by Noreen Malone with a portfolio by Amanda Demme, was six months in the making and delves into the lives, as well as the crippling secrets, of over 30 women who have alleged that they were sexually assaulted by Cosby.

Moments after their stories were made public, the New York website crashed, silencing these women once again.

Our site is experiencing technical difficulties. We are aware of the issue, and working on a fix.

— New York Magazine (@NYMag) July 27, 2015

Twitter user Vikingdom2016 has claimed responsibility for what appears to be a cyber attack; however, this claim has not been substantiated.

http://t.co/pJeaQkGh0M will be down for hours.... :D ENJOY

— Vikingdom2016 (@Vikingdom2016) July 27, 2015

http://t.co/2ccZiBJBdj #OFFLINE again.. :D By ThreatKing and @Parallelized

— Vikingdom2016 (@Vikingdom2016) July 27, 2015

Vikingdom2016 - NYC Death It's time to party and cut NYC Internet wire. #Vikingdom2016 pic.twitter.com/Q1bxVWiRGm

— Vikingdom2016 (@Vikingdom2016) July 26, 2015

The magazine has been tweeting captions from the article, as well as audio clips of several interviews with these women.

Hear Janice Dickinson tell her story about Bill Cosby on our @instagram: http://t.co/EjHA3ZXAPR pic.twitter.com/rrUmThjmuM

— New York Magazine (@NYMag) July 27, 2015

"I felt like a prisoner; I felt I was kidnapped and hiding in plain sight." More on Instagram: http://t.co/4PcVbfZLAU pic.twitter.com/Lr9fwtCFTc

— New York Magazine (@NYMag) July 27, 2015

While the company works on mediating this cyber glitch, the entire story can be read on the New York Magazine Tumblr page.

While we work to get our site up for everyone, we've published the full cover story on Tumblr: http://t.co/NdjnnS1J86 pic.twitter.com/867dgpmeUX

— New York Magazine (@NYMag) July 27, 2015

Our site is still down but you can listen to 2 women's testimony about Cosby on Instagram https://t.co/GEoDc8pMF0 + https://t.co/CLlPl40cGS

— New York Magazine (@NYMag) July 27, 2015

The magazine interviews 35 women, including Janice Dickinson, Barbara Bowman, and Joyce Emmons. The interviews, among other aspects, discuss how the women were shamed, threatened, and drugged by Bill Cosby.

According to the magazine, 46 women have come forward accusing Bill Cosby of sexual assault. Following the publication, the #emptychair has gained popularity, representing victims of sexual assault that have been silenced.

my rapist was a family member and our church convinced my mother that keeping it a secret would be better for him and for me. #emptychair

— Erica Tremblay (@EricaTremblay) July 27, 2015

If you won't listen to the women staring back at you, you are part of the reason that #emptychair is so devastating. pic.twitter.com/xP9SjY6JyR

— Kristen Caruana (@kristencaruana) July 27, 2015

For more information, visit the New York Magazine Instagram page.