Thread by @kwilliams101, I am not Vanessa Guillen

I am not Vanessa Guillen - I am alive.

And I have used every method I could to raise alarms about sexual harassment and assault in the military & its aftermath.

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I wrote about my personal experiences being harassed, having my complaints ignored by my command & mocked by my male peers in intimate, excruciating detail in my first book. https://wwnorton.com/books/Love-My-Rifle-More-than-You/
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I talked about being sexually harassed and guys constantly staring at my boobs in the Army on @nprfreshair (and was later mortified at having said boobs on public radio):
https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4814647
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I co-wrote on sexual assault in the @USArmy with my best friend, to elevate a voice with less of a platform who was willing to share her personal trauma to try to get people to pay attention:
https://slate.com/human-interest/2013/05/sexual-assault-in-the-military-why-its-rising.html
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The Military Still Doesn’t Understand What Rape Means

This week the Pentagon released a survey estimating that the number of sexual assaults in the military jumped from 19,000 in 2010 to 26,000, just a few...

https://slate.com/human-interest/2013/05/sexual-assault-in-the-military-why-its-rising.html

I wrote about @DeptVetAffairs' efforts to improve care for survivors of military sexual trauma.
https://www.csmonitor.com/Commentary/Opinion/2013/0718/Progress-in-caring-for-survivors-of-military-sexual-assault
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Progress in caring for survivors of military sexual assault

Military sexual trauma is too often exacerbated by poor care in the aftermath. While the Defense Department struggles to improve prevention and prosecution, the VA is has made strides to ensure...

https://www.csmonitor.com/Commentary/Opinion/2013/0718/Progress-in-caring-for-survivors-of-military-sexual-assault

I wrote about what senior @USArmy leaders were getting wrong about sexual assault.
http://trumanproject.org/home/doctrine-blog/what-senior-leaders-get-wrong-on-military-sexual-assault/
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I wrote about victim blaming.
https://www.ywca.org/blog/2013/09/30/victim-blaming/
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Victim Blaming - YWCA USA

By Kayla Williams In a discussion about sexual assault in the military, an older gentleman at one point turned to me and said, “What do you think, Kayla, don’t these girls know that if they’re in...

https://www.ywca.org/blog/2013/09/30/victim-blaming/

I described 7 common misconceptions about military sexual assault.
https://www.thedailybeast.com/seven-misconceptions-about-military-sexual-assault
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Seven Misconceptions About Military Sexual Assault

As the issue heats up, it’s time to cool off the conversation and focus on the facts, writes Kayla Williams.

https://www.thedailybeast.com/seven-misconceptions-about-military-sexual-assault

I wrote about how the military could use data in new ways to identify chains of command that weren't doing well on tackling sexual harassment and assault.
https://thehill.com/opinion/national-security/409310-what-should-be-done-with-report-on-military-sexual-harassment-and
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What should be done with report on military sexual harassment and

Kayla Williams Addresses what should be done now that RAND has demonstrated that it is possible to identify both total and installation-specific risk for sexual assault and harassment.

https://thehill.com/opinion/national-security/409310-what-should-be-done-with-report-on-military-sexual-harassment-and

I wrote about hazing - which is how men are more likely to characterize their military sexual assault experiences.
https://taskandpurpose.com/thelongmarch/hazing-professional-military
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There Really Is No Place For Hazing In A Professional Military

The vigorous Twitter response to the recent piece “There’s A Reason For All That Hazing And Ass-Chewing, And We Shouldn’t Ignore It” highlighted a need to

https://taskandpurpose.com/thelongmarch/hazing-professional-military

I wrote about how @DeptVetAffairs is failing male victims when deciding claims of PTSD related to MST.
https://thehill.com/opinion/healthcare/429355-va-continues-to-fail-male-victims-of-military-sexual-trauma
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VA continues to fail male victims of military sexual trauma

More than half of survivors are men, and their cases are not being handled equitably.

https://thehill.com/opinion/healthcare/429355-va-continues-to-fail-male-victims-of-military-sexual-trauma

I wrote about how the culture of sexual harassment that pervades the military continues when #womenVets use VA hospitals:
https://thehill.com/opinion/healthcare/467714-end-harassment-at-va-hospitals
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End harassment at VA hospitals

Women experience notoriously high rates of harassment and assault while they serve in the military; that pattern can persist.

https://thehill.com/opinion/healthcare/467714-end-harassment-at-va-hospitals

And I wrote about sexual harassment at VA *again* when leaders failed miserably in responding to a prominent example of it.
https://thehill.com/opinion/healthcare/479101-va-leader-must-demonstrate-commitment-to-ending-harassment
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VA leader must demonstrate commitment to ending harassment

VA’s own research shows that women veterans do not find the VA to be a safe place to enter to receive care and services.

https://thehill.com/opinion/healthcare/479101-va-leader-must-demonstrate-commitment-to-ending-harassment

I reviewed @RyanDostie's hauntingly beautiful memoir about serving, which included details of her rape, her command's failure to respond appropriately, and the psychological aftermath.
https://www.ausa.org/articles/january-2020-book-reviews
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January 2020 Book Reviews

How Army Doctrine Got Us Here From There

https://www.ausa.org/articles/january-2020-book-reviews

I co-wrote a piece about VA's need to improve MST response with @SamanthaKubek.
https://taskandpurpose.com/opinion/military-sexual-trauma-va-claims-oped
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The VA has some serious problems with how it handles claims of military sexual trauma

Too often, military sexual trauma survivors report being re-traumatized by the very system that's meant to help them

https://taskandpurpose.com/opinion/military-sexual-trauma-va-claims-oped

I worked on the @RANDCorporation Military Workplace Study which detailed the depressingly high rates of harassment and assault.
https://www.rand.org/nsrd/projects/rmws.html
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RAND Military Workplace Study

The RAND Military Workplace Study (RMWS) is an independent study of sexual assault and military equal employment opportunity (MEO) violations in the active duty and reserve components of the U.S....

https://www.rand.org/nsrd/projects/rmws.html

I gave print, radio, and tv interviews. I gave Congressional testimony. I gave keynote speeches. I talked on panels. I moderated panels of other women.
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So in the past 15 years, I have both bared my private shame and worked to bring cold hard data to light. I have elevated the voices of other women, and of men. I have been just one voice in a chorus of voices warning you.
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Like a modern day Cassandra, perhaps, WE TOLD YOU. We said, hey, #MeToo

in the military. DO SOMETHING.

LaVena Johnson is dead. Vanessa Guillen is dead. How many others are dead? How many murdered? How many have died by suicide?

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Was this enough to get attention? Military women have told our stories for decades. We have warned you for decades. Begged for action, for change. Will you do something now? Or will we have to scream this all over again next year, next decade? #enough
/end

I am also not Vanessa because I have not experienced the additional discrimination & silencing that women of color experience in the military & as veterans. Pay attention to what #womenVets like @_pamcampos are saying, now & always.

LISTEN to #womenVets. Listen to authors @AnuBhagwati @msdc14 @kate_germano and @Tri_OR_Die https://www.cnas.org/publications/podcast/women-veteran-authors-on-their-military-experiences

Women Veteran Authors on their Military Experiences

Developing strong, pragmatic and principled national security and defense policies.

https://www.cnas.org/publications/podcast/women-veteran-authors-on-their-military-experiences

Listen to @MLDoyleauthor @kaylahchanel @RyanDostie and @RambaKy

READ #womenVets telling their own stories.
See how long we've been talking about the same shit.
https://www.nebraskapress.unl.edu/potomac-books/9781612348315/

You can follow @kwilliams101.

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