When the horrific elevator video surfaced of Ray Rice and his then fiance, Janay, it thrust the issue of domestic violence into the spotlight, casting much needed attention to abuse and the ease of victim blaming. And in a trend that needs to continue, both victims and survivors are speaking out more than ever before. As our voices gain strength and grow louder, it shows us there is hope in what feels like a hopeless situation. We’ve taken to social media, sharing our reasons with the #WhyIStayed #WhyILeft hashtags started by Beverly Gooden after the internet and media blamed Janay Rice instead of her abuser. It’s a cruel pattern that adds insult to injury, and it needs to end.
If you’ve read Vagina Antics for any length of time you know I was abused by my boyfriend when I was a teenager. It was traumatic and took me a very long time to come to terms with it all. I finally did, though, and now I speak openly about it. I’m a survivor, but I choose not to let it define who I am. It is, however, a part of me. It always will be.
On October 1st, the beginning of Domestic Violence Awareness Month, I will give away one copy of , my account of abuse. Normally, this is where I would say something totally snarky, or claim to possess some sort of superpower, but it doesn’t feel right to do so, so just enter to win, okay?
*smooches*
Nikki
