The ‘Believe Women’ icon who doesn’t believe Jewish women

The ABC’s decision to give Grace Tame a new platform as a podcast host has revived questions about her dismissal of evidence of sexual violence during the October 7 Hamas attacks – and whether some victims are deemed less worthy of belief than others.

Tame, the former Australian of the Year whose advocacy transformed the national conversation about child sexual abuse, will front a series exploring the experiences of autistic women and gender-diverse Australians.

Only months ago, appearing on ABC Radio Sydney with Hamish Macdonald, Tame suggested that reports Israeli women were raped and sexually assaulted during the October 7 Hamas attacks had been “debunked” and were merely “propaganda”.

When Macdonald pointed out that the United Nations Special Representative on Sexual Violence in Conflict had found reasonable grounds to believe sexual violence had occurred during the attacks, Tame rejected that conclusion, saying she would not “sink to the level of entertaining propaganda”.

I am a survivor of rape as an adult and of childhood sexual abuse. Like many victims, I know that the trauma of sexual violence is often compounded by disbelief. Victims are questioned, doubted, dismissed or accused of exaggeration. It is one reason why so many women remain silent.

For many of us who have experienced sexual violence, Tame became a powerful voice. We listened to her. We admired her courage and were grateful for her leadership. She spoke publicly about the abuse she endured and challenged a legal system that prevented victims from identifying themselves. In doing so, she helped change laws and attitudes and encouraged Australians to take allegations of sexual violence seriously.