Stories of SA Loud and Clear For All to Hear!

I tell these stories of assault not to bring up fear, but so that we can bring them to the light where they can be understood, inspire others to have the courage to tell their stories and the people involved can be identified and hopefully face their own demons. About a month ago I saw Blink Twice and was deeply triggered, but also kind of relieved to see the group repeat dr☆gging and "graping" of people exposed in such a large scale. Then #GisellePelicot came up on my feed and her story was similar to mine. I had to face the fact that this is not something that just happened to me, it is more common than we know, and if I hadn't found the right therapist and seen her for years to get my mind out of survivor mode, I may have never conciously known about the awful truth of how I was dr☆gged and "graped" by a group of men, one of whom I knew very well, in my own bed. Hearing the excuses of the men involved in Giseles case say things like, "I thought she was in on it", while they were recorded "graping" her unconscious body, was just beyond belief. The fact that 50+ men were recorded taking turns just reminded me that this IS more common than anyone wants to believe. The signs are; unexplained bruising, internal soreness, hair loss, passing out randomly, waking up paralyzed. I hate to put one more thing on women, but please stay vigilant, check in with yourself, get a damn hidden camera! The police will not take you seriously without video of the assaults, which is why Giseles case finally broke the barrier! Perhaps somewhere there is a video of this happening to me, or to you, and I ask all men to report all videos in which a woman looks unconscious. If men report, then maybe women will be taken seriously. Please help. These are my personal stories of assault that have happened in Sonoma County, and by no means are these the only ones I have. I hate to believe what I know, which is that this IS more common than any of us want to believe. I understand how it can be hard to believe people when they say they've been "graped" because it really is f☆ing unbelievable. I used to be skeptical myself and it's happened to me over and over, and still I went on pretty oblivious, simply not naming it, not labeling it, imagining it was just something that I attracted. Imagining that it was just me. When I found out he had done this to a little girl, everything changed. I took it seriously, and I did what I could through the justice system and met a big brick wall. I did what I could on my own, and maybe some kind of self reckoning did come to him from my conversation with him, and maybe not, maybe he's still finding girls to pass on his pain to. All I know is I want to be someone who helps put an end to this in any way that I can. I want to be someone who makes others feel more comfortable telling their stories so it's not some heavy secret crushing them all the time. I want to call out r☆pists for what they are, deeply insecure, pain filled people who steal the connections they know they don't deserve. There is no one as weak as the person who simply takes what they refuse to earn. Life is hard, relationships are hard, and three is no excuse for reacting to hardship in a way that forces someone else to carry your pain. When men ask what they can do, they can report the men they know are doing wrong. They can save the girl who looks "out of it", they can stand up to evil and REPORT it, because of men start reporting "grapes" then maybe women will be taken seriously. I don't want anyone to feel sorry for me, I'm blessed with an optimistic nature and a very good therapist. What I hope comes of this, is normalizing all people telling their must painful, hidden stories. Repressing these injust incidents like he who must not be named publically did from his very painful childhood, can cause emotional trauma that can turn would-be normal people into absolute villains. It will take all hands on deck to solve this, even if nothing of the like has ever happened to you, check in with your friends, be the person they can confide in, and especially check in with the children. I believe, to some degree, everyone benefits from therapy, and I deeply bless and thank every person who chooses that as their profession, and every person who simply is that to those around them without even having a certificate. Just hear people, listen, help each other, even and maybe especially the bad guys. Hurt people do hurt people and it's because they do not have the community or emotional tools to deal with their own feelings. Let's get to the root of it, all of us. I have hope that a time of radical personal responsibility is coming for all of us as individuals so that we may make up a far kinder collective humanity.