I went to the Dominican Republic before my freshman year at CSU for a medical shadowing experience. We all went to a club one night and this man pulled me outside and raped me. It took me years to accept that it was rape and it was not my fault.
I developed an eating disorder soon after as a way to protect myself from getting raped again. I found myself playing with death in many ways because I did not care about myself or believe myself. I did not believe the trauma in my body that was telling me that it was real.

I did not believe myself for years and am finally beginning to believe myself and know my truth. I believe you. It doesn’t matter if you were intoxicated, it doesn’t matter what you were wearing, it doesn’t matter if you danced with them, it is not your fault.

-Emma