Thread by @jenniferscully1

I'm going to tell a couple of quick stories here in this thread. I want to shed some light on how common it is for boys and men to think they have the right to overpower young girls and women. 1/20

When I was six, a boy asked me to help him with something in the coat closet in our second grade classroom. As I walked in, he quickly close the door behind us and shoved his hand down my pants and started touching my vagina. 2/20

I grabbed his hand and pulled it out of my pants and tried to open the door but he was stronger than I was so I couldn't. My teacher finally heard the commotion, let me out, and sent me to the principal. 3/20

I told the teacher what happened and I got in trouble. That same year, the principle of our school pinched my bottom every single time I walked past him in the hallway. I was too scared to tell my mom. I didn't want to get in trouble again.
When I was eight years old, I was 4/20

walking home from school in about a foot of snow across the ballfield. One of the boys in my class yelled something from behind me. I turned around and saw five children charging toward me, yelling, "Get her!"
Dressed like an Eskimo, I was unable to run. 5/20

I fell and as I tried to stand up, I was immediately knocked down. Four of the children grabbed each one of my limbs and held them tightly to the ground, down through that foot of snow. I could feel the grass on my wrist.6/20

The fifth child, the tallest boy in our grade, jumped on top of me and began simulating sex as he did what he probably thought was kissing, but instead he was biting my face until it bled. 7/20

When I was 14, a bunch of us friends went to a pizza place for lunch during the school day. We had an open campus then. Times were different. I leaned over the table to grab a napkin and a senior took his face and stuck it in between my legs from behind. He kept 8/20

rubbing his nose back-and-forth and I could not get him out from between my legs. I screamed and finally his friends told him to stop.

When I was 18, I was riding the NYC subway at rush-hour- the car was really crowded. We were all standing like little sardines packed in a 9/20

can a bit too small. There was a man standing directly behind me. We were both holding onto the same pole. It took me about 45 seconds to realize that he was masturbating on my back. 10/20

At the moment I realized what was happening, it ended. The back of my dress was covered in his DNA, the train doors opened, and he bolted out.

When I was 19, I had a boyfriend I really liked. I had made some new friends at work and one of them invited me to go out 11/20

with a group of people to a comedy club. My boyfriend had to work so I went solo. The friend who invited me offered to give me a ride and I accepted. When we got there, none of our friends were there.12/20

I later found out that he lied to me and did not invite anyone else. I didn't really eat back in those days and the two drink minimum was used for Chardonnay. I was pretty tipsy. He drove me home and the night was uneventful. I thanked him, got out of the car, 13/20

walked to the door and waved good night. I turned around, put the key in the door, and suddenly he was behind me. He pushed me inside the house, closed the door and locked it. He pushed me through to the back of the house and into the kitchen. 14/20

He was incredibly strong. I could not overpower him. I was actually frightened of him as he seem to be on a high dose of steroids. He suddenly became this monster. He did to me what people do to have babies. I should have screamed but I was too afraid he might hurt my mom 15/20

who was sleeping upstairs. I cried, collapsed to the ground and he left.

I needed the job that I had at the time and since he also worked there, I had to see him again. He must've told everyone at work that I wanted it. He made sure that they all made me feel 16/20

uncomfortable. They would prank call me late at night, make sexual noises over the phone and hang up. They prank called my mom, too. Some of the calls were threatening. I quit my job. I told my boyfriend what happened and he was so scared that he might get "AIDS" that he 17/20

broke up with me. I lost my job and my boyfriend. I went to the police and they did nothing. There was no evidence. He did not leave his DNA inside me or on my clothing. There was no bruising. A rape kit was useless.
My point is- coming forward or not has a similar 18/20

effect; none at all.

Unfortunately, these are not the only experiences I've had. I know many people have had it much worse than I have. Countless women are beaten and murdered by sexual deviants. I am here to say how common this is for women to have multiple encounters 19/20

with predators. There are ways we can change. We can truly educate our boys. We can change our laws. And we can also vote for more women because the more power we have, the less power these creeps will feel they possess. THE FUTURE IS FEMALE
20/20 end