Thread by @SarahEMcBride

#MeToo: I’m so open about every other part of my life except one. I can count on one hand the number of people I’ve confided… (1/17)

… in about being sexually assaulted. I stayed quiet for too many reasons. (2/17)

I stayed quiet because of society’s propensity to not believe survivors. (3/17)

I stayed silent bc I worried that if it took me a hours to truly wrap my mind around what happened, how would others else believe me? (4/17)

I stayed silent bc I knew compounding the disbelief of survivors would be the... (5/17)

… the specific disbelief that comes from the perception that trans people are “too disgusting to be assaulted.” (6/17)

I stayed silent because I feared that any story that “sexualized” me would undermine my voice as a woman and as a trans advocate. (7/17)

I stayed silent because I worried that when ppl hear “trans person” and “sexual assault” in the same story, their minds would pass... (8/17)

…over the reality and immediately go to the dangerous myth of the “trans bathroom predator…” (9/17)

adding insult to injury that the fear of speaking out could reinforce support 4 anti-trans policies that foster violence against us (10/17)

And that is how systems of oppressions work and intersect... (11/17)

The violence & stigma I face as a woman is compounded by the violence & stigma I face as a trans person. (12/17)

And yet, at the same time, my whiteness, economic security, able-bodied privilege, family support, and so many other identities... (13/17)

help halt the further multiplication of the barriers and challenges in my way and serve to shield me from some of the... (14/17)

worst consequences – often fatal ones – that result from the toxic mix of racism, misogyny, transphobia, and homophobia. (15/17)

These systems & structures persist without intentional & sustained action. It’s not enough for any ally to refrain from bad behavior (16/17)

We need u to engage in tearing down the walls that have been built to keep people from the safety and justice every person deserves. (17/17)