Rape is arguably the worst possible crime in existence. While the physical damage generally heals, the emotional repercussions of a sexual assault are lifelong. Perhaps the worst thing about surviving a rape is the intrinsic need to keep it secret.
It is very difficult to say the words, “I was raped.” It is even harder, however, to must the courage to say the words and face a firestorm of people casting doubt. Since sexual assault is often difficult if not impossible to prove (never mind define), there is a surprisingly high percentage of people (and some of them are regular Zelda Lily readers) that automatically assume a woman claiming rape is lying.
I was raped. It happened in 1998, I was drunk, and it was unspeakable. While the physical effects healed fairly quickly, I will never fully recover emotionally. To this day, I am not able to …