Sexual assault has proven to be an ever-changing and highly debated topic in American society, and although there are multitudes of constructive conversations surrounding this issue, it is still occurring and is a terrifying prospect. In our schools, in our careers, walking down the street, eating dinner at a restaurant, you name it; nowhere is truly safe.

Sexual assault has been difficult to define for some, impossible to understand for many, and for the American legal system, extremely hard to punish. With discouraging cases such as Brock Turner and Roger Ailes, not to mention the rise of a president who was literally recorded describing how he sexually assaulted women and still won the election, one can lose faith in America as a collective.

These instances certainly left me wondering if anyone actually cared about sexual assault, (a question which matters immensely for me in my first year of college) and if it did happen to me, what could be done?

I have been raised among strong women my entire life. My mother is the epitome of that strength, and I am surrounded by friends and acquaintances that are ambitious and loyal and loving and headstrong who allow me to draw inspiration from their strength and help me to form my own.

Because of this, I used to wonder why women would take so long to speak out about sexual assault; I thought they were too weak to see that them speaking out would help all of us and that they were doing other victims a disservice by not pursuing justice. When I began to grow and see the world and my place in it, I began to understand.

With that opinion, I was standing on a pillar of privilege, propped up by my secure position in society as a white, middle-class woman in America. I didn’t understand how an accusation can ruin the accuser and not do any constructive good. I understand the fear, as much as someone can who hasn’t been a victim. I am not saying I know exactly what it’s like because I really don’t. I’m saying I see now that there exists more circumstances that are far more multifaceted and vastly different than mine.

The largest component in my newfound understanding comes with the surfacing of the ‘Me Too’ social media campaign that has arisen in the wake of Harvey Feinstein’s years of sexual abuse in Hollywood, recently uncovered by the New York Times. This campaign features people from all walks of life, mostly women, all ethnicities and ages, opening up about a time they’ve been a victim of sexual abuse or harassment, or sexism of any kind.

It is truly amazing to see the magnitude of this campaign and how many women I follow on social media have been affected by this. It’s amazing to see how many are listening, how many are standing up to the forces that tell them that they are not allowed to speak out.

The magnitude of this campaign itself both encourages solidarity and indicates a grim reality in this country: that sexual assault is extremely common, but it is discussed so little. This is the most prevalent discussion about these issues in my short memory, and it personally has had the most impact on me, so to the women participating in this campaign: Thank you.

Thank you for your testimony, for the piece of your life that you’ve shared with us. You are the reason I have hope for the future of sexual assault culture in America, you are the reason so many others will now be more willing to speak up. I’m so, so sorry this happened to you, but thank you for turning that bad thing into something constructive for all of us. To the women who aren’t comfortable sharing their story: we are still with you.

Your story and experience is no less valid, and I’m sorry that this has happened to you as well. Thank you, thank you, thank you, from the bottom of my heart. Please keep sharing your stories, and keep making this an essential conversation to have instead of a taboo one.