Pelicot’s landmark case led to reforms in France’s rape laws after she bravely testified about enduring a decade of sexual abuse.
Gisele Pelicot, the French woman whose courage in publicly testifying about the decade-long sexual abuse she endured made her a symbol of women’s rights in France, has received the country’s highest civilian honor.
Pelicot was named a knight of the Legion of Honor in a list published Sunday, ahead of France’s Bastille Day celebrations.
She joins 588 others on this year’s list.
But it isn’t incongruent. Because Depardieu and Pierre were not honoured for, or, in-spite of their crimes. Their crimes were not public knowledge at the time of their inductions. Depardieu is probably going to be stripped from the Legion d’Honneur anyway, unless his appeal goes through. Pierre is dead, so cannot stand trial to be found guilty. Implying congruence supposes a direct knowledge, or tacet endorsement of those crimes… So, it’s not incongruent for Gisele to be inducted into Legion d’Honneur, because Depardieu and Pierre were not knowingly inducted for, or in-spite of their crimes. Which makes this irony, dressed up as an institutional failing, which it is not.