I got kicked out when I was 17. My mother and I didn’t get along. My mother has some mental problems. I still love her though… Since I got kicked out and I was still in high school, I started to be a stripper because it got the bills paid. Well a couple years after that I responded to an ad on Craigslist looking for dancers for a bachelor party. They said they just needed one more girl and the pay would be good. So I drove 3 hours away to where this “party” was. When I got there. I asked if I could see the money upfront so I knew that it existed. And I knew something was up because there was no other girls there.
I started to panic.
They said they had a gold plated necklace they would give me for my time.
When I told them that I didn’t want to do it for jewelry and needed the cash. They told told me tough s***. I got raped anal and vaginal. It hurt so bad. I tried to scream but they covered my mouth. I tried to move and nothing helped. I couldn’t believe it. I was so scared that I was going to get killed when it was all said and done.
The 1st chance I got I ran out the door as fast as I could.
That day will always haunt me.
— Survivor, age 23
Dear survivor,
When I read your story the first thing that came to mind was a line from Brave Miss World. Fran Drescher says that that the police told her that they did everything right. They lived. You had the strength to run out the door at the first opportunity to saw, even in the midst of horror. I hope that you continue to heal and that you are reminded that even in the face of evil and darkness, there are still lights, like you, that shine bright. You are very very brave.