Warning: This episode contains graphic descriptions of sexual violence.After months of testimony, verdicts are expected as soon as this week in a rape trial that has both horrified and captivated the people of France.Catherine Porter, who has covered the trial, discusses the woman at the center of the case and how, with a single decision, she has turned the power dynamics of the #MeToo era on their head.Guest: Catherine Porter, an international correspondent for The New York Times based in Paris.Background reading: France’s horrifying rape trial has a feminist hero.Dominique Pelicot says he invited men to rape his wife, whom he had drugged. The French media call them “Mr. Every Man” because they come from such ordinary backgrounds.For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday. Unlock full access to New York Times podcasts and explore everything from politics to pop culture. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
Full Episode
From The New York Times, I'm Michael Barbaro. This is The Daily. As soon as this week, after months of testimony, verdicts are expected in a rape trial that has both horrified and captivated the people of France. Today...
My colleague, correspondent Catherine Porter, on the woman at the center of that trial and how, with a single decision, she has turned the power dynamics of the Me Too era on their head. It's Wednesday, December 18th. Catherine, it has been a really long time, and I am very glad to be speaking with you.
Me too. It's nice to be back with you, Michael.
So we're going to be talking today about a case that, when it first began to reverberate outside of France, where you are, really shocked the world. And then, as even the most shocking things do, it kind of receded from our collective consciousness, but not from yours.
No. Oh, my God. And I think it hasn't receded from the French consciousness either, because once you put your mind to it and you lock your eyes on it, it's really hard to tear them away. This is a story of... A rape trial in which 51 men are on trial at the same time for raping or sexually assaulting the same woman. So I think that even if you just hear that much, it's so much to handle.
But there's all these other elements that have made this case impossible to look away from. And the most important one is the woman at the center and the way she has conducted herself throughout this trial and her decision really to use her own private torment and hell as a force for greater good to change society.
Well, to understand how the woman at the center of this case does this remarkable thing, let's start at the beginning of this case.
Sure. So this case begins in the end of 2020, and it involves a married couple living in the south of France, Giselle Pellicot and her husband, Dominique. They had been married for about 50 years and had retired from the Paris region and moved down to this small, idyllic town. And in many ways, they lived a very idyllic life. He was going for long bike rides. She had become a big walker.
They had three children who they're very close to and seven grandchildren who would come down for long weekends. And by all accounts, they were very happy, except for she was suffering some weird medical problems. Her hair was falling out. She had lost quite a bit of weight, but most notably, she had these increasing blackouts.
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