I appreciate the comments and support. I had never planned to share such personal details of my life in such a public way, but I was infuriated at his recent talk and felt all I stand for was attacked.

In my COC incident report all I asked was for the offending video to be taken down and for the speaker to be educated on how he violated the COC by making already marginalized groups feel even more isolated in our community. If he had stood up and supported women and people with disabilities in a better way, that would have had a great impact on so many others. Instead he knocked us down a bit more.

I truly believe that deep down he is a decent person, but he doesn’t fully grasp the reach of his words and actions. He has to be more thoughtful. Good or bad, he represents a piece of our community and has the power to influence so many.

Since this story was published he has apologized for everything and I accept his apology and will move on. I am sorry for making this a public thing instead of going to him first…although I doubt much would have changed had I gone that route. I am not a victim or a survivor or brave or any of the words people have leveled at me. I’m just a (frustrated) person who deserves respect and a voice…just like everyone else.