This is something I need to say: I was groomed + sexually assaulted when I was 12. I didn’t recognize it as assault until I was 23. I thought I was being “slutty” and I was ashamed so I didn’t tell a soul for 11 years. #metoo

I know now that a 12 year old could never be “slutty,” especially when the person who did this was in his late 30s. I don’t even remember his name but he lived in my building. I didn’t think it counted because it wasn’t what I had learned was assault.

I’m saying this out loud not for pity but because I want people to know they’re not alone. This thing happened to me but it doesn’t define me. I am strong. I survived.

I’ll never get retribution because I dont remember his name, only his face. But I want to go back in time and tell 12 year old me that she is okay, and that things will get better and that it’s okay to talk about the things that hurt us.

I don’t even know why I’m tweeting this because I still carry a lot of embarrassment and I might delete this thread but I just needed to put it out into the world, even if just for a moment.