In an extraordinary piece of journalism, New York Magazine’s cover story addresses the stories of 35 individual women, ages 20s-80s, who claim that they were sexually assaulted by Bill Cosby.` Six women are also videotaped. This is the first time that all of the Cosby accusers willing to come forward have told their stories individually but in one centralized place.

Justice Dept Redefined Rape in 2012

It’s generally believed that this female gathering never would have happened without social media and a broadening of the definition of rape, as actioned by the Justice Department in 2012. The act of rape — previously considered only as a violent act of one person — a man — forcing himself sexually on another person — a woman — has been redefined and expanded by gender (women can rape men; men rape other men) and by sexual actions beyond vaginal penetration.

In the words of Susan B. Carbon of the Justice Department’s Office on Violence Against Women, the redefinition of rape meant that “it’s rape even if you’re a man. It’s rape even if you are raped with an object and even if you were too drunk to consent.”

Too Drugged And/Or Drunk To Consent?

Although the criminal statute of limitations has expired on most of the alleged sexual assault incidents among the 35 women interviewed by New York Magazine, they are seeking justice in the court of public opinion. Note that some of the women have filed civil cases against Cosby with multiple lawyers representing them.

Cosby’s recent publicized 2005 admission that he procured at least seven prescriptions for quaaludes for the purpose of having sex with other women not his wife. caused four of the 35 women to come forward just last week.

“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,” writes New York Magazine. “In the ’60s, when the first alleged assault by Cosby occurred, rape was considered to be something violent committed by a stranger … But among younger women, and particularly online, there is a strong sense now that speaking up is the only thing to do, that a woman claiming her own victimhood is more powerful than any other weapon in the fight against rape.”

One Cosby accuser whose story isn’t told in the New York Magazine collection is Andrea Constand, the Temple University administrator and former college basketball player in Philadelphia, who reached a settlement with Cosby. It was the deposition in her case that was released last week by the New York Times.

In the past week Spelman College, a historically black women’s college in Atlanta, cut all ties to Cosby. The foundation was established by Cosby’s wife, Camille, in honor of her mother, as the Atlanta Journal Constitution reported; two of the comedian’s daughters attended Spelman.

In Philadelphia, a mural featuring Bill Cosby has been painted over.

Age 15 Molestation Case Moves Forward

As embarrassing as the Spelman decision is, Cosby’s attorneys lost a significant court battle in California last week when the state Supreme Court declined to hear a petition that would have overturned a case of a now 50’s woman who claims that Cosby molested her at age 15.

Charges of molesting young girls takes the Cosby allegations into new and sickening allegations.

Gloria Allred, the attorney representing the alleged molestation victim, who is now in her 50s, told TIME her team plans to ask Cosby not just about the specifics of the case but also about the similar claims made by dozens of other women, who have detailed encounters in which Cosby plied them with drugs or alcohol and then assaulted them. She hopes to depose Cosby in August and will seek permission to videotape the proceeding.
“We have wide latitude in the deposition to ask any question of Mr. Cosby that is relevant or will lead to discovery,” Allred told TIME. “I believe it is relevant to inquire about accusations of other accusers, in order to establish pattern and practice, as well as a motive.”

Featured below is a sample of the Testimonies of New York’s 35 women.

Testimony
The Incidents
“My agent said we’ve been contacted by a really, really big person in the entertainment industry who’s interested in mentoring promising young talent. I find out it’s Bill Cosby. I had the understanding I was going to be receiving private acting coaching from him. This was the opportunity of a lifetime. A driver would pick me up, my agent was paying for it. That made it all very, very professional. The door opens, and there stands Cosby. He’s in his sweats and very casual, very friendly. I had a monologue prepared. He seemed unimpressed. He said, ‘Let’s try a cold read,’ so he pulls out a script. The scene was set in a bar; the character was someone who was inebriated. He poured a glass of white wine. And he said, use this as a prop — now, that means you’re going to have to sip on it, of course. I really don’t remember much, except waking up in his bedroom. He was naked, and he was forcing himself into my mouth.” —Heidi Thomas