Women Finally Tell Their Truths About Being Sexually Assaulted: Cate McGowan Courageously Steps Forward

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Women like Cate McGowan are finally becoming brave enough to tell their painful truths about the sexual assaults they’ve endured. Cate’s truth: “I’ve lived with a secret for many years: I was raped at gunpoint when I was eighteen. But it has never defined me. Or has it?”

What HuffPo didn’t want you to read: “A Tape Doesn’t Change a Goddamn Thing” by Karrie Higgins

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Last week, Karrie Higgins (whose work we’ve highlighted before) published an essay so controversial, the Huffington Post took it down and deleted her contributor account within hours of it going live. Higgins’ essay, originally titled “Donald Trump confessed to sexual assault on tape and so did my brother, and here is what I know: a tape doesn’t change a goddamned thing,” is a devastating and necessary account of the reality so many women face regarding sexual assault, why it is under reported, and why so may male assailants roam free.

Why Won’t She Leave Him?

Power & Control Wheel

Don’t tell her what to do; talk to her and listen. Offer your help, but understand that to leave or not to leave is her decision. Respect it. And tell her you respect her.

Acknowledge the pain and turmoil she is in, most especially the emotional turmoil. If she doesn’t leave him, don’t give up on her leaving him. Give her love, respect, support, and time. It’s going to take all of that.

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