Bill Cosby Rape Victim Speaks Out: Barbara Bowman Pens Op-Ed, Slams Sexist Entertainment Industry – “Why Wasn’t I Believed?” [WATCH]

After comedian Hannibal Buress had some not-so-great (but apparently truthful) things to say about legendary comic Bill Cosby, the world has pretty much turned against the famed Cosby Show star. Earlier this week, when his people decided to create a Meme contest on Twitter, it backfired tremendously with those around the Twittersphere making memes calling the comedian a rapist and mocking the allegations –– and not in his favor. Now, it seems one of his rape victims, Barbara Bowman, is speaking out. Not just against Cosby, but against us all. In a new op-ed the victim penned in the Washington Post, Bowman not only details the story of when Cosby allegedly raped her, but she also asks why it took a male comedian (Buress) calling Cosby out to get her and all of the other victims' the stories to take off.

"Only after a man, Hannibal Buress, called Bill Cosby a rapist," she writes, "in a comedy act last month did the public outcry begin in earnest."

She then added, "While I'm grateful for the new attention to Cosby's crimes, I must ask my own questions: Why wasn't I believed? Why didn't I get the same reaction of shock and revulsion when I originally reported it? Why was I, a victim of sexual assault, further wronged by victim blaming when I came forward?"

As Bowman writes, Cosby's crimes have been brought up and talked about for years now, which makes her question just why it took this particular instance for her story to "go viral."

Pointing her finger at the entertainment industry itself, Bowman notes that the business is "rife with famous men," ones who choose to use their status and powers in order to "victimize and then silence young women who look up to them." Furthermore, she demanded that the ones surrounding the legendary comic take some responsibility for what went down.

Bowman is currently an artist living in Scottsdale, AZ. She is married with two children. For the full op-ed, hop on over to the Washington Post.