All my life, women have felt they could intimidate me and hurt me. Why? To make themselves feel better? Because I deserve pain and humiliation? Every instance of significant harassment and assault was at the hands of a woman.
When I was 13, the girlfriends I had cherished turned on me and abandoned me. They taunted me and told others not to be friends with me, because I wasn’t worth it. I was stupid, retarded, ugly, and I’d never have a boyfriend. No boy could or would ever want me.
When I was 24, an ex-boyfriend’s ex-girlfriend pretended to be my friend, pretended to want to get to know me, only to get me drunk and sexually use me to get back at our ex-boyfriend.
When I was 32, a Mexican woman (who had moved to America from Mexico) said that she didn’t like the way I looked and that I didn’t belong in her neighbourhood, and she struck me. I called the police to report the assault, and she lied to them, saying I hit her first, so I was unable to press charges.
I hope my stories are worthy of being shared. I hope they fit into the narrative here. I hope I, too, am brave.
— Survivor, age 35
Dear survivor,
Your stories are just as worthy of being shared as anyone else. They absolutely fit the narrative. Trauma is trauma and pain is pain and no one has the right to tell you that your pain is not worthy. Most importantly, I want you to know that YOU, as you are, are enough. You are so very brave for sharing. Thank you. Light, love, and solidarity, Alissa