This Writer Discusses the Complexities of Sexual Assault in the Queer Community

I came across an article titled “What I Learned about Dating Women Who Have Been Raped” this week and was immediately intrigued. When the media talks about sexual assault, they are almost always talking about a man assaulting a woman. Statistically, this is the most common kind of sexual assault, but this narrow view erases the queer community from the equation. Unfortunately, sexual assault exists in the queer community, and Emma Lindsay wants you to know about it.

In her piece, she delves into what it was like to date women who had been assaulted and then how she reacted when she herself was assaulted. She writes beautifully about the bisexual experience and how sexual assault has affected the relationships she has had.

Lindsay created a website, reclaim.love, for the anonymous sharing of stories of sexual assault. The website is heartbreaking and therapeutic, I highly recommend checking it out.

The final line of Lindsay’s piece reads, “My own suffering matters.” This line has stuck with me, and I have found myself repeating it to myself frequently since reading the article. If you have been a victim of sexual assault I encourage you to call the National Sexual Assault Hotline. Your own suffering matters.

 

Cover image courtesy of Shutterstock.

By Hannah Rimm on February 22, 2016
Hannah Rimm is a writer, educator, and filmmaker living in New York City. When she isn't writing, she is the marketing coordinator at an Academy Award-nominated arthouse animation company.