ten.

“waking up without.

leaving is the hardest part.”

three.

“It started at 16. I wasn’t ready and he wasn’t okay with that, but I felt obligated. He thought it would be ‘fun’ to hit me, he thought it would be fun to choke me. I let it happen because it made him happy, and I wanted him to be happy, so it was worth the pain for him to be happy.”

two.

“When I was around 10-11 I was violated by a family member. I was unaware of what was actually going on or really what to call what happened. I thought because he was a family member it was okay. I still haven’t told my family because I’m afraid what they’ll say and might blame me being gay for it.”

four brave souls

Yesterday I was lucky enough to interact with four students who were willing to share their stories of assault on paper. I feel incredibly grateful they were willing to put themselves out and deeply saddened that each had to suffer.

“I have learned now that while those who speak about one’s miseries usually hurt, those who keep silence hurt more.”