We invite all male graduates of Yale University to stand in solidarity with our sisters (http://bit.ly/YaleWomenLetter) and to join us by signing the letter below:

Peter Rafle Jr., Morse College ‘88
Paul Mange Johansen, Ezra Stiles College ‘88
Colin A. Weil, Silliman College ‘88
Greg Alling, Grace Hopper College ‘88
José Montaño, Ezra Stiles College ‘88

As men of Yale, some of whom know Deborah Ramirez, Pierson '87 personally, we stand behind Deborah and with Dr. Christine Blasey Ford. These two women have courageously made allegations of sexual misconduct against United States Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh (Ezra Stiles ‘87, Law ‘90). They have nothing to gain by speaking out; their willingness to do so despite inevitable personal attacks only underscores their credibility.

Yale in the 1980s had not been co-educational very long; the drinking age in Connecticut jumped from 18 to 21, helping fuel the rise of fraternities and sororities. Many of our female friends and classmates struggled to forge new paths in centuries-old male-only traditions; some of our male friends and classmates did not make this process easy.

The harrowing accounts we've recently heard -- of harassment, misconduct and assault -- are sadly consistent with the campus culture at the time. We can't change what happened then, but we can speak out today: no one should be subjected to the abhorrent treatment Deborah and Dr. Blasey have described. Nobody who would do such things should be confirmed as a Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court.

The Senate Judiciary Committee must delay any vote on Judge Kavanaugh’s nomination to the Supreme Court. These allegations must be thoroughly and independently investigated, and both women must be treated with fairness and respect and given a safe opportunity to provide their descriptions of events.