Sarah Whitney was raped when she was 16. She told her then-boyfriend, who reacted in an extremely unsupportive and hurtful way—blaming her for the incident and breaking up with her on the spot. The reaction of the first person a survivor tells is pivotal and can have a huge effect on their healing. “I would like people to know that this is no one’s fault but the person who did it.”

Maya was raped by an acquaintance a few weeks into her freshman year of college. As is the case for many survivors, Maya didn’t immediately identify herself as a victim of sexual violence. "I hadn’t put a word to it yet...But now it’s been really important for me to call it what it was."

Lacy was sexually assaulted and abused by her high school partner. “No one understood what I was going through and what it was like in that relationship. But when we were apart, I realized how great it felt to be away from him—I really wanted that freedom.”

Sharon Billings was sexually assaulted and abused by her husband over the course of four years. It started with controlling behavior and emotional abuse and escalated to become increasingly violent. “The biggest thing for me was when I got to the point where I could let go of responsibility for my husband’s actions. I held myself accountable for a long time.”

Stephanie was sexually assaulted by her uncle on a regular basis between the ages of four and twelve. “It was something I had kept to myself for so long. It really molded a lot of my thoughts, my feelings, my behaviors. It was this huge burden.”

At just 17, Megan enlisted in the Marine Corps, seeking financial and professional independence, and a chance to serve in the armed forces. She’s overcome many obstacles to get to where she is today, including experiencing sexual assault on base.

When Cheryl Cloyd Robbins was nine years old, she was sexaully abused by the school bus driver. Cheryl talks openly about living with the effects of sexual abuse, surviving a suicide attempt, and utlimately finding her voice. 

After the assault, Lucy lost her voice—a struggle that would be difficult for any survivor, but was heartbreaking to a professional singer like Lucy.