A Victim, a Survivor, a Human.

Summary

The author of the article is a survivor of sexual assault who identifies as both a victim and a survivor, emphasizing the complexity of their experience and the importance of personal narrative in healing and empowerment.

Abstract

The article titled "A Victim, a Survivor, a Human" presents a personal account of someone who has endured sexual assault. The author asserts that they are both a victim and a survivor, rejecting the notion that they must choose one label over the other. They recount the traumatic experiences of being preyed upon in middle school, violated by someone they trusted, and subjected to drug-facilitated sexual assault. Despite these harrowing experiences, the author emphasizes their resilience, having survived not only the assaults but also the subsequent psychological challenges. They acknowledge the impact of their experiences on their worldview and relationships, yet they refuse to be defined solely by their past. The author's narrative underscores the importance of personal agency in defining one's identity post-trauma and the belief in the capacity to effect positive change in the world, even if it's on a small scale.

Opinions

The author feels strongly that they have been victimized multiple times and acknowledges the reality of their experiences without downplaying the severity.
They assert that survival en

A Victim, a Survivor, a Human

As someone who has experienced sexual assault, a well-intentioned phrase people like to tell me is that I’m not a victim, I’m a survivor. But the truth of the matter is, I am both things.

A Victim

No one can tell me I wasn’t victimized when I was preyed on by a college student in middle school. No one can tell me I wasn’t victimized when someone I thought was a friend violated me in one of the most horrific ways. And no one can tell me I wasn’t victimized when an almost stranger used alcohol as a date-rape drug.

I am a victim of sexual assault.

I am a statistic.

A Survivor

Despite being undeniably victimized, I also undeniably survived it. I survived the assaults, and I survived the nightmares, the flashbacks, the therapy sessions, the fear, and the anxiety. I survived and will continue to survive.

I will persist despite the struggles I face as a survivor.

I have used my experiences and my pain as learning experiences. I no longer accept abuse as love, despite growing up in a home where abuse as love was the only example to look to.

And I still choose to love, despite my fear.

I am a survivor.

A Human

But I am more than a victim. I am more than a survivor. I am more than a statistic.

I am a human. I have my struggles; I have my fears; I have my strengths; I have my weaknesses.

I love music and movies and art and I love expressing my thoughts into words and I love cats and I love coffee and I love traveling and exploring the world and I love people despite the ways I have been hurt by fellow humans. I believe people are good and I believe I can make the world a better place even if it’s just for one person, or even if just for my cat.

Who I am is not what I’ve been through, though it will be a part of me for the rest of my life.

To some, maybe being called a survivor is empowering. To me, the choice of how to tell my story is more empowering.

My story is mine to tell. And your story is yours. Own it.