TW: Mentions of sexual assault.
These past several months have been the most empowering for anyone who is a sexual assault survivor. With so many women sharing their stories with the #MeToo movement, to TIME Magazine's person of the year being those who broke the silence, to the Time's Up movement gaining recognition, many women are gaining the strength to tell their stories and open up to others who also want to share their stories. More and more of these women standing up to tell their stories have given me more and more strength to share my own story throughout the years.
One thing many people do not know about me is that I had a history of sexual assault since I was fifteen years old. Since then, I would have a thought in my head that would constantly be putting me down, saying "don't tell anyone this happened. Nobody will believe you." I kept quiet about my stories for many years until my freshman year of college when I was involved in my school's Vagina Monologues for the very first time. While it took me a while to fully gain the strength to tell my story, I still felt like I had support from my peers for the first time.
As I got older, I realized that the thought in my head that has been haunting me for six years is just trying to bring me down and to silence me. They want me to stay quiet and not tell anyone what happened because that means that they win. The only thing I have to say about that is, you cannot win. You cannot bring me or any of the brave, strong, and powerful women that you are attempting to bring down. I, along with all of these women, are so much stronger than you will ever be, and you cannot silence us. If you think to bring anyone down and telling others that their stories are not valid will make you stronger, you are absolutely wrong. You are truly the one who is weak for even trying to silence us.
To the women who want to share their stories but still feel scared to do so, just remember that you do not owe anyone their stories. The strength to share your story takes time, and your time will come. It took me a good six years to be fully comfortable with publicly sharing my stories, and even if it takes longer for you, that does not make your story any less valid than those who are fully comfortable with sharing their stories.
And to the women who do have the strength to share their stories, never let anyone tell you that your stories are not valid. Nobody has the right to take your strength away from you, and you are some of the bravest women the world could ever have. As long as you stand united with your fellow survivors, you cannot be broken. You are not alone. I know what it is like to attempt to be silenced, so remember to stay strong, and never let anyone attempt to break you.