Gillian Sisley
Nov 1 · 1 min read

Hi Faith — firstly, thank you so much for being so vulnerable and sharing this story with us.

You don’t need my confirmation on this, I know. But I also know that having fellow survivors validate our experiences helps us to heal.

I have friends who were fully raped — I was almost raped by my then-boyfriend. I too felt my experience wasn’t “official enough” to be in their ranks.

But sexual assault comes in many forms.

Here are the facts that validate both of our experiences: we were handled in a violent way. We were grabbed in a way that did not align with our consent. We felt violated afterwards.

That’s it — it’s black and white.

Which isn’t any victory to admit. It’s rather a bitter pill to swallow.

There are days I too doubt my sexual assault, and it’s validity. But it’s not really because I question if it happened — it’s because I really wish it wasn’t.

Sending love and big hugs ❤

    Gillian Sisley

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    Online solopreneur. Tea drinker. Committed optimist. I write about womanhood, writing & entrepreneurship. Never miss a single beat 👉 https://bit.ly/33XgtKT