"And at last you'll know with surpassing certainty that only one thing is more frightening than speaking your truth. And that is not speaking." —Audre Lorde
JENN"It first happened before I could walk, and continued for years after."
READ
You know Boys wanting to touch you That's what my mother said anyway"
ANONYMOUS
"Eventually he stopped, but I was terrified he would
start again. Mentally holding my breath, I waited
a safe amount of time and "woke up." I'm disgusted
thinking about it now—the fact that
he'd do that to me while I was asleep."
ANONYMOUS"I think I'm afraid that these were just minor
infractions, but they had such a large
impact on me."
READ
LAUREN
"She would sleep, the monsters under the bed
would visit, and she would sleep again. She
stopped dreaming in color. As time dragged along,
heaving forth the days and trickling through the
nights, the monsters got braver. And scarier."
READ
ANONYMOUS"It took me close to a year, but I made it out,
happy and free. It has now been four years since
the incident. I came out stronger, more
confident, and triumphant. I am a survivor."
COURTNEY"My body has been degraded and used for decades,
since I was a little girl. I don't know why."
READ
HANNA"I don’t remember the rest of the day, but I do
remember walking home in tears afterwards,
because I was scared to legitimize
what had happened."
READ
the police and I feel that, slowly but surely, the black tar I've become so familiar with is finally starting to transform to something more light and refreshing, like water."
ALLIE"It's been almost a year and a half since reporting to
the police and I feel that, slowly but surely, the black
tar I've become so familiar with is finally starting to
transform to something more light and
refreshing, like water."
READ
I'll mess you up.' I haven't spoken of it since then."
anonymous"'If you go around saying that's what happened,
I'll mess you up.' I haven't spoken of it since then."
READ
anonymous"I finally reported my older brother to two different
police departments a week ago for the physical
and sexual abuse I was subjected
to by him when I was a child..."
READ
story—don't minimize it. Our vulnerability makes us strong; it makes us courageous. We are all imperfect, but we are worthy of love and belonging."
STACEY"Embrace vulnerability. Speak out about your
story—don't minimize it. Our vulnerability makes us
strong; it makes us courageous. We are all imperfect,
but we are worthy of love and belonging."
ANONYMOUS"I knew that this was not what I wanted and I
was afraid to say no, because I didn't
want him to get mad."
READ
MALLORIE"When others shared their truths on this site
accompanied with a smiling photo of
themselves, I felt resentment. How could
they be smiling when I felt I was drowning?
But now I understand."
READ
he knew I had a child and that the child was his. I fell to the floor. My whole body was shaking. I couldn't think straight, I couldn't breathe.."
kari"As I slowly listened to the message he stated that
he knew I had a child and that the child was his.
I fell to the floor. My whole body was shaking.
I couldn't think straight, I couldn't breathe.."
READ
ANONYMOUS"This was my coping mechanism. I believed that if I
could make myself believe that I did not care about
what had happened to me—what was happening
to me—then I was free from it."
READ
ANONYMOUS"There were bruises all over my face. What had
happened to me? How could I let this
happen to me?"
READ
that he had figured things out and that it wouldn't happen again. And then it would. "
ANONYMOUS"I'm in my late fifties now and have had
considerable difficulty developing close
friendships, be they with males or females.
As for dating, I'm a walking disaster."
READ
ANONYMOUS"I thought I was just one of the rest of my fellow
female population with body image issues
and poor self-esteem."
ANONYMOUS"I still struggle with feelings of guilt for reporting
(despite the fact that the report went nowhere),
playing what-if, wondering why I
couldn't just stop drinking..."
ANONYMOUS"In my head, I convinced myself that it was
consensual because I stopped fighting him."
READ
MARGARET"In social work classes I never understood why,
when reading case studies, women in abusive
relationships stayed with their abuser. I never
understood until it happened to me."
READ
MACIE
"Everything about my babysitter was sharp.
Her eyes, her mouth, her fingers and her bones."
ANONYMOUS"I struggled to date again. And I couldn't
figure out why until I saw him pop up
on my social media newsfeed. I then
experienced my first panic attack."
ANONYMOUS"He threw me to the ground, and his thumb pressed
into my carotid artery. I couldn't scream,
I couldn't breathe."
READ
KATELYN"I will never forget the first time I was raped.
I locked my door and slept with the lights on.
As years went on, being assaulted regularly
by the person who I thought loved me started
to take its toll."
ANONYMOUS"Days later he bites my other arm, piercing my
leather jacket, just to make the bruising
“symmetrical” on my body. I report it the
police officer on campus. "
ANONYMOUS"He brushed it off and only said that he had forgotten
what a big deal girls made of losing their
virginity. A week later, I had my first
painful herpes breakout."
ANONYMOUS"But maybe that’s all I’d been taught, how to be
a nice girl. Nothing of what sexual assault
was, or what my feelings were, or how to
protect myself, or how to run."
READ
JAM"After that night, I bled for two weeks straight,
like my body was trying to shed the memory
from the inside out."
READ
showers or my mind hit its maximum amount of pain and shut off and reset, but something changed. I decided this wasn't the end. There was more, I was more."
ANONYMOUS"Something snapped, maybe one too many scalding
showers or my mind hit its maximum amount of
pain and shut off and reset, but something changed.
I decided this wasn't the end.
There was more, I was more."
READ
BRIANA"I never would have thought that the silence that
surrounds my assaults would be more painful
than the experiences of assault themselves,
but it is."
ANONYMOUS"At 16, I was going back to high school after summer.
At 18, he was going to university.
I went back to high school a victim of rape.
He went to university a rapist."
ANONYMOUS"it became apparent to me that the seizures were
more specifically triggered by interactions
revolving around one individual, one smirking
individual sitting across from me in history class"
EMILY"As I watched someone run a stop sign that
morning, it hit me that I was naïve to think
that everyone stopped at the signs. That everyone
respected that word for what it was."
NATALIE"An eating disorder, drug dependency, risky sex,
bad boundaries, and fear of failure. I did it all.
My biggest fear, however, was being seen:
having someone know my
story and accept me."
CHELSEY"I wasn’t attacked in a dim alley or tied up in a
dark basement. I was simply an 18 year old who
had put her trust in a seemingly-loving person.
My rapist was my boyfriend."
READ
DAVIDvisual truth
VIEW
by myself crystal clear and you chose to manipulate my future. This is on you, and I won't hold the pain any longer."
EMMYLOU"I made my plan to take a Lyft home
by myself crystal clear and you
chose to manipulate my future. This
is on you, and I won't hold the pain
any longer."
READ
ANONYMOUS"They hurt me, but I thought that was
how teen boys showed they cared. So I let
it continue . . . for 4 days."
READ
ANONYMOUS"The dedicated dancer often views their teacher as
much more than the title of a "teacher" and they
become life-long mentors. They see you grow up,
they see you at your worst, at your best, they
give constructive criticism."
READ
would take me out of one home and throw me into another. Every home I was placed in seemed to have the 'older brother.'"
ANNIE"I would complain to my caseworker and she
would take me out of one home and throw me
into another. Every home I was placed in seemed
to have the 'older brother.'"
READ
ANONYMOUS"This a beginning, middle, and an
end to my silence."
READ
ANONYMOUS"I was startled by loud noises. I was easily irritated.
I started having flashbacks and nightmares.
I asked God to take my life. I lost friends."
READ
do best. You survived.' I did survive. But I want more than that.
ANONYMOUS"I am stronger. I am a mosaic—once-broken pieces
of a soul glued together with the gentle and
unconditional love of the people who
surround me every day."
COLLOR"After he's done, I'm sitting in a corner crying in
silence when he whispers, 'Don't forget to bring
your homework next week, I might give you
extra points."
MATTHEW"When I come to consciousness, I'm not relieved
I'm dreaming, because it's not a dream,
it's a memory."
READ
SARAH"Our bodies will often remind us of the aspects of
our lives that we attempt to forget. Take the time
to acknowledge where you have come from and
where you are."
READ
NINA"I did not want pity. I did not want antidepressants.
I wanted by childhood back."
VANESSA"What I was never told was to watch out
for people who were close to me. I didn't
know what was happening was wrong, I
only knew something wasn't right."
TAYLOR"Relinquishing the ownership of
violation of my humanity has been one
of the most painfully exquisite quests of
my life. And now, scarred yet thriving—
I fear nothing."