I'm a woman who's been through the ringer and been physically assaulted, though not in a romantic relationships, thank god.

But I do think there is a HUGE difference between restraining someone in self-defense and being the abuser in the first place. Even if Mr. Depp lost control, it appears based on evidence so far that Ms. Heard routinely psychologically, emotionally, and physically abused him and said it would never matter because he was a man.

I know many men in that situation. I am a liberal feminist who unfortunately experienced the creepiness of men taken down in the #MeToo movement. But defeating the patriarchy includes ending the narrative that only women suffer from assault or that it's okay for women to hit men, but the minute it's a man hitting back, that crosses the line.

And for Ms. Heard to claim victimhood and write an op-ed after everything she did is 100% wrong and takes away from true victims in abusive relationships.

"I emotionally and physically abused a man repeatedly who eventually restrained me or fought back" is a VERY different story from "I'm a domestic abuse victim and my husband hit me."

(But you're right. Defamation suits are almost impossible to win. And we don't know the whole story.)