(no subject)

I got this from dollraves, who got this from a thread that led back to Misia's original post.

misia wrote "I wondered for a moment what it would look like if just for one day, everyone who had survived sexual violence were visible as a survivor, if we could actually see the extent of it, if we could all know just how very not-alone we are. I wondered how angry and sad it would make me to know. I wondered how much power there might be in the truth."

It's something I've often wondered as well; I know the list of my own friends who have experienced sexual violence is long, perhaps as high as 50% if I stop to actually count. And those are only the stories I know.

And I've sat here for an hour, knowing I should go to bed (not that I think I'll sleep well tonight), debating whether to post this myself. Because the truth is, part of me is still ashamed. Or perhaps, better put, part of me remembers so clearly the overwhelming shame I felt at the time. But GODDAMN IT.

Why should I be so afraid to post this?

I am Jennifer, and I am a survivor of sexual violence.
No Pity, No Shame, No Silence