Rolling Stone reported that Kesha filed a lawsuit against Dr. Luke in 2014, that claimed he has sexually assaulted her. Kesha opened up about her story and explained that she has been physically, mentally, and verbally abused by Dr. Luke over the years, and it has impacted her way of life. She recognizes him as her oppressor, and was afraid to come forward, in fear of the power that he had over her. Many other female singers such as Lady Gaga, Miley Cyrus, Ariana Grande, Taylor Swift, and Adele have offered their support and are standing with Kesha in her time of need. As a female, better yet as a human being, it is hard for me to hear Kesha’s struggles and watch her pain as the court denied her to discontinue her contract with Sony. So Kesha, here is a letter to express my great respect for you:

Dear Kesha,

I am a writer. As a writer I am supposed to be bias free, and keep my personal opinions out of my writing. But with your story it has become particularly difficult for me to keep my thoughts silent. To be honest, when your story first came out I knew where I stood, and I knew that I believed you but I couldn’t bring myself to look deeper into it because I also knew that it would make me very upset. Like I said earlier, as a human being, it is hard for me to watch what you are going through and not feel a great deal of sympathy.

Many other writers have explained your story, and the Free Kesha movement is not only important, but it is necessary. In many fields, and aspects of life, women are recognized as lesser and not given the credit and respect deserved. In your situation, you were harassed and intimidated by a man, and someone that has power over not only your well being, but your career as well. Your situation is important because I never want a young girl, a young woman, or an aged woman to feel as though they have a voice that doesn’t deserve to be heard, or that can’t be heard. Even though you have bravely broken your silence, there are people that criticize your actions. As a victim people question whether your words and troubling experiences are truthful, by saying, “Let us, for a moment, consider that Dr. Luke may not have sexually harassed or raped Kesha.” Or with article titles that deny your struggles, “‘Free Kesha, For Sure—But From What?” These people want to take away the blame from the abuser, and invalidate the suffering that you have gone through as a victim. Again, some people would rather question the victim than the accused. These critics seem to be disturbed that, “The conversation around rape and violence against women has shifted dramatically in recent years, led by victims’ rights advocates fighting to change the justice system and by prominent feminist voices.” Because who needs to worry about to victims’ rights when dealing with rape and violence against women?

Kesha, please remember that your voice and words are powerful no matter who tries to take that power away from you. It is a shame that you will have to live with this situation looming in the distance for the rest of your life, but your actions right now speak volumes to the strength and power that you have. You have the strength to get through this situation and come out as the victor, and you have the power to impact other victims that are too afraid to come forward and reveal the abuse that they have undergone. Through your public circumstances, victims are getting strength and will continue to get the strength that they have longed for. Hopefully those victims will not be questioned and said to be liars, and if they are hopefully they will have the great resilience that you’ve had throughout this process. Kesha, and all victims of any sort of violence or abuse, may you have the strength to persevere through your times of struggle and may you have the desire to be triumphant always, and know that there is power in your voice and through your story, because you never know whose life you will touch by just coming forward and revealing what you have been through. I applaud all of the victims that have come forward, and I applaud all who have not. It is tough to do both, but with whichever you decide to do never lose the desire to live your life and go for your passions. You are just as deserving as the next person, and you have a beautiful soul that is worthy no matter the person or situation that tries to tell you otherwise.

Best,