Emma Lewis shares her views on the need to change the culture around child sexual abuse for The Truth Project
It Happened Again
Cat shares with us something she survived: “I wake up with Lady Gaga’s ‘Til It Happens to You’ song in my head. And I’m ashamed. Ashamed because what happened to me (this time) was nothing compared to the stories she is telling in that song; the story she is telling about herself. It wasn’t even on the same level. But I still feel dirty and weak and tearful.”
Child on child sexual trauma
An anonymous contributor shares with us their story of childhood sexual trauma at the hands of another child. “I still, 30 years later can't fit the word abuse to this experience. Because it doesn't seem justified. Yet I know I experience the same symptoms of many people who were sexually abused as children by an adult.”
To my former self: Heidi's Story
Heidi writes a letter which says all the things she would have said to her younger self.
The Reality of Mundane Nightmares
In mundane nightmares my body recognises such dreamscapes as ‘normal’ - because they are normal in our world. But, these dreams should not be normal, no matter my body may try convince me so. They are ugly and they are violent; they feel normal only in this nightmarish reality of being a survivor surrounded in an ongoing rape culture.
Johanna Hedva: Sick Woman Theory
Hedva, a genderfluid person who chronic illness has ‘come to’ (their words), intricately and beautifully puts into words what every person living with chronic illness, pain or trauma (especially those who are political/ activists) has needed to hear their whole lives. They lay out the need for SWT as an act of destroying all oppressive structures of society, and they push for a centring of all ‘Sick Women’ in all of our spaces (both physical and ideological).
Surviving the holidays
What I want to discuss is that it can also be an especially triggering time of year for survivors of sexual trauma. Sometimes, the holidays may a safe haven of warmth in their recovery. But it’s important to be mindful that there are a multitude of reasons why the holidays may be specifically hard for a survivor.
Realising he wasn’t the “prince charming” I had thought he was
I am not alone - one in five women have been sexually assaulted.
This is an issue too big to ignore. I’ve lost a lot of trust which I’m working hard to regain.
What does it feel like to go through heartbreak after trauma?
An anonymous writer tells us their experience of love and ensuing heartbreak in the aftermath of trauma. “A foundation built on trauma is always going to be volatile. I think in the end I just reminded him of his pain, and he reminded me of mine. We were no longer able to drown it out.”
Justice For Gaia
Gaia Pope-Sutherland was a 19 year old survivor of rape, who lived with mental and physical impairments, whose preventable death has led to the campaing ‘Justice for Gaia’. Her loved ones began the campaign to demand justice for the lack of support and lack of urgency she was met with in her time of crisis.
An Open Letter to my Rapist...
‘When i come for you, the world won’t know. Only you. I will use words, i will use my intelligence, my kindness, my empathy and my strength to fight for something that is so much bigger than you.’ Morven shares with us her powerful words that decipher her persistance and the power she now holds over her past abuser.
What Happens When You Report to the Police?
No matter how much research, I could never find a real, solid answer to what the process actually involved. Whether you want to report to the police or not is only YOUR decision. You know what is right, so trust yourself. I’m writing this to provide you with the fullest picture of what may happen if you do report to the police.
Survival and Discovery
“But this is not a story of my pain, this is not a story about the acts themselves, this is a story of my survival and discovery.”
Your Survival is Valid.
You are valid. Your survival is valid and no one can tell you that you are experiencing your truth wrong. You are your only embodiment.
Beauty
Morven Loh shares with us painful words about the night of their assault.
Public on pubic hair
In a few relationships my partners have suggested I remove my pubic hair, but I still do not understand why looking prepubescent in the pubic area, makes me more attractive.
I'm Still Here
I try to help myself; I pack memories into boxes and store them in the depths of somewhere I’m not always allowed to reach.
The Overlooked: Periods
LCA will focus on Periods as part of a new 'Overlooked' series that will become a regular feature on the site. There will be art, reviews of products, resources and thoughts on the subject - so if you have anything you'd like to contribute, please email us, use the contribute form or contact us on our socials!
Lapse in Survival: A Bad Day
But Summer is my favourite time of year. Are they taking that from me too?