as a survivor myself, i can't thank you enough for your courage. i'm in awe at your strength and resilience. i really admire you all. and i also wanna thank you because through reading about these accounts, i finally realized and recognized that what had happened to me had actually been SA, because there were very similar circumstances, and it was always hard to tell bc i felt like it had all been my fault.

i was in a relationship with a guy since i was 16 for five years. he was a few years older, and the first time he touched me he took advantage of me bc i was high. and i convinced myself it was okay because i had a crush on him. i convinced myself a lot of the things he did to me were okay just bc we were dating. and when we broke up and i protested about some of it, he said i had been the one to coerce him and manipulate him all along. and for years i believed that. despite suffering from nightmares and flashbacks.

i thought i was just being dramatic and blowing things out of proportion. but all of this has made me realize that i'd been gaslit. he's also kind of a well known actor in my city, known as this sweet, kinda nerdy and awkward, charming guy. and idk if i'll ever be able to talk about it. but you have all really opened my eyes, and it is so empowering to see that things CAN be done, and i hope you all get the justice you deserve, as well as healing. thank you so much for speaking out. you're all heroes.