On Sunday night, New York magazine unveiled its July 27 to Aug. 9 issue, the cover of which features photos of 35 of the women who have accused comic legend Bill Cosby of rape.
The accompanying article by Noreen Malone and Amanda Demme is titled "‘I’m No Longer Afraid’: 35 Women Tell Their Stories About Being Assaulted by Bill Cosby, and the Culture That Wouldn’t Listen."
It is a piece-by-piece retelling of the gradual gathering of women's stories to form an overwhelming case against the once-beloved American comedian.
"The group of women Cosby allegedly assaulted functions almost as a longitudinal study -- both for how an individual woman, on her own, deals with such trauma over the decades and for how the culture at large has grappled with rape over the same time period," wrote Demme and Malone.
"Still, the culture of silence and shame lingered, especially when the men accused had any kind of status. The first assumption was that women who accused famous men were after money or attention. As Cosby allegedly told some of his victims: No one would believe you. So why speak up?" they said.
The print edition of the issue is set to hit newsstands this week.
