Category: Aftermath
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A trend labeled ‘false’ during sexual assault awareness month…
TikTok is a social media platform where users create and share videos up to 60 seconds long. According to Influencer Market Hub, “Most of its U.S. users are young, with 32.5% aged between 10 and 19. A further 29.5% are aged 20-29”. Users on TikTok have reacted to claims of April 24th, 2021 as National…
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Speaking my truth for the first time
Earlier this year I gave my first talk about the sexual abuse I experienced as a kid. I spoke to a local organization’s subcommittee about my experience of sexual abuse. It was a weird but powerful experience and a reminder of just how far I’ve come. It was really scary putting my truth out there-…
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There’ll be days like this
It’s the nature of relationships, even with those you love, that there will be disagreements, even conflict.I’m about to spoil the ending for you: a few weeks ago I asked my created family to go through the legal process of adult adoption and they said no. I won’t go into details here of conversations had…
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I don’t believe you..
It has been a long two weeks and I’m exhausted. Okay, okay, okay, let me start at the beginning: it began with therapy homework. I’ve been utilizing online therapy, which is a post for another time, but my therapist gave me homework this week which was to talk with my aunt. I had talked to…
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The transition to safety…
I think sometimes when I tell my story people think it was eons better after moving to Madison and that instantly my life had transformed. It did evolve, but not in the way I had expected and no where near as fast as I would’ve liked. The abuse stopped. I wasn’t being assaulted anymore, that’s…
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Dear (white male politicians in) Alabama: here’s what you’re not thinking about…
For many people in this debate right now, the prospect of imagining a child having to carry her rapists baby to term is inconceivable and many adults are speaking out which is what advocacy looks like, and still many people in the debate on both sides do not know what it is like to be…
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The (ongoing) Transition to Safety.
I think sometimes when I tell my story, people, they think that when I moved to Madison that instantly my life had transformed. Like when a missing girl is found after being held captive for years- people think that transition happens instantly. Those girls and their families can tell you it doesn’t. I often wish…
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A letter to those I didn’t tell…
In response to your responses, I want to first say: thank you. Thank you for having the courage to reach out. Whether that was to simply say that you were sorry I experienced abuse, inquire about something or those courageous souls who shared their own experiences of abuse with me, I feel lucky to experience…
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Today’s Panic Attack
During Mental Health Awareness Day a friend of mine that I knew in college asked for a favor- she asked her friends to try to find ways normalize the discussion around mental illness. I wanted to do something, but at the time I wasn’t sure how. I also knew that on that day there would…
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An Open Letter to the Nurses Who Judged My Pain
Trigger Warning: This post contains material that may be triggering to some people. Descriptions of sexual violence, sexual assault, abuse, medical procedures and injuries are mentioned in the following post. This summer I had an appointment at my doctors office to have some stitches removed. As anyone who has had stitches removed knows: the procedure,…
Finding Taylor 