For anybody who missed my interview on CNN/HLN’s Dr. Drew show and wanted to see the entire 12 minutes — the full video is now posted. Thank you all for your warmth and encouraging words. It’s so much better being an adult than a teen. Many mothers and teens wrote to me and confided their own stories of trauma. I have received a lot of questions. Here are some of the answers: No, out of the three guys I wrote to on Facebook not one apologized. I didn’t name names in the New York Times article nor on Dr. Drew because that could create legal issues for the Times and for CNN so a few details were edited.
I was flooded with caring notes from classmates. I also heard a surprising number of similar stories from people in my hometown. I was called brave and courageous but the truth is I just wanted to tell my story after keeping it a secret for so long. Keeping it a secret wasn’t healthy for me. I wanted young girls to know that the best thing they can do is talk to an adult immediately following a trauma. Don’t hold it in and don’t try to forget it by getting drunk.
A few people criticized me for not taking legal action because they felt I should have protected future potential victims. I was 13, a child, a petrified kid. I was terrified of being harassed in school if I told which was a realistic fear. I also couldn’t prove anything. It would be my word against theirs. As we all know from TV and movies, victims of sexual assault are often blamed for their attack. Remember the Jodie Foster movie, The Accused? I was so young that I blamed myself anyway. I thought that if I hadn’t worn that pretty, new, sexy shirt it wouldn’t have happened which is very childlike thinking.
I want to thank every single person that took an interest in my essay and TV appearance. Every kind word I received — and there were so many — was appreciated. Please feel free to ask questions and make comments. The cat is now out of the bag!
If you missed seeing my essay in The New York Times and would like to read it click here.
