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 ❤
