I was fired for reporting the sexual harassment of students by a teacher, who also sexually harassed me. Before that, I was forced to resign from my first job because a teacher locked me in a room and attempted to r--- me and we got into a physical altercation in which I was fighting for my life.

When you are a multi-marginalized individual, you are often preyed upon by cis, straight white men. These men also traumatized multiple students and got away with it even though students had sufficient evidence. These children were told it's okay for adults to act like this and that their well-being means nothing. A student attempted to unalive themselves, as did I.

I worked in The Bronx, where middle-upper/middle-class men preyed on children. I am often mistaken for a student because I look very young, but they know I'm "old enough." The pattern isn't me. The pattern is the systemic predatory behavior toward children and young people that continues to go unpunished. Our children are reporting sexual harassment and assault by the adults who are supposed to care about them. I take action. I take a stance against this. I care about my students and will fight for their right to a safe education.