Tips for Survivors that may want to speak out at the #LSU protest tomorrow—a thread. First, you are a bad ass for having the courage to show up and speak out against the way sexual assault is addressed on campus. You should feel empowered right now. 1/
Second, if you are going to speak out and/or talk to journalists, then just keep a few things in mind...1) Your words will likely live forever once you are quoted. 2) You become known to everyone and many people may try to contact you. 2/
It could be journalists, random friendly people, other survivors with disclosures of sexual trauma, creeps, and possibly friends or family members of the person who abused you. Be prepared and make sure you are mentally in a place to handle this possibility. 3/
3) If you want to stay anonymous or only provide information on background, then make sure you only talk to a reputable journalist (google them before talking to them). Make sure to tell them upfront whatever you say is on background. 4/
4) Ask the journalist if they can send you the quotes they plan to use before they publish it. I sometimes say things in a way that comes out on print different than the way I meant for it to. The really good reporters will be happy to do this. 5/
5) If a story does come out, then be careful about reading social media comments on it. I will say it bluntly: there are a lot of stupid people in the world and many of them make comments without even reading the articles they comment on. 6/
6) You won’t be able to control who takes pictures or videos of you at the protest, especially if you speak in front of a crowd. Just remember someone will likely be recording you and there won’t be a way to know where it ends up. 7/
7) Don’t feel like you have to talk about anything you don’t want to. If you want to share with people what happened to you, then do it. Just be aware that defense attorneys commonly try to use inconsistent accounts as a means to attack credibility. 8/
No one tells an account of something the exact same way each time, but just keep that in mind. Last, be careful about naming your assailant publicly. It’s best to make a safety plan and weigh pros and cons with an advocate before deciding either way. 9/
You can call STAR’s 24/7 hotline at 1-855-435-STAR to come up with a safety plan. After considering what I mentioned above, you speak your truth! As Brene Brown says, “Owning our stories and loving ourselves through that process is the bravest thing that we will ever do.” 10/10
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