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Because one in six American women will be victims of rape in their lifetime. Because it happens to men too.

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Sexual violence is less of a women’s issue than we thought.

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When a stranger who knows nothing about you feels like he has a right to you- that he’s entitled to you and you are nothing but there for his gain – that’s assault.

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This finding highlights part of what makes being a woman so terrifying — that we not only have to fear the strangers in dark alleyways, but also the people we trust the most in broad daylight.

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We cannot continue to read stories like this in the media. We cannot continue dismissing these stories because “things like that don’t happen here.” They do. They happen every day, and they happen everywhere.

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I am no longer ashamed; I am empowered.

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The power structure had showed itself and I embodied the smallest, weakest prey in the room.

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You deserve to be happy and safe. I want to end this letter the way I started, just for emphasis. You are loved. You are important. You have so much worth in the world.

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After my assault, I was confronted with a life changing decision: I could be a victim, or I could be an advocate. I could become weaker, or become stronger. I could hate the world, or I could change it. I decided to change it.

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How fitting. Dream: dashed.