November 13, 2017

From one of our Southern California members, Hong-My Basrai:

#metoo

Standing up for oneself doesn’t stop at denouncing sexual violence but all forms of violence, including the kind aiming at mental torture. It started with a few words, or an act of bullying with the intention to make the other feel small, devalued, lessened, disqualified.

The insinuating words are as sly as the groping hand reaching into the intimate part of the victim; or worse, as hurtful as that thrusting organ or body part, robbing the other of either innocence, health, confidence, or all of those combined.

I have experienced this form of violence many times in my life: in the workplace, in the streets, among people I socialize with, and as recent as yesterday.

Don’t ever doubt yourself in the face of violence, however subtle it might be, when it is stalking you. Seek help. Seek alliance. And denounce it when you have gathered enough concrete evidence. Trust me, like a hungry fox, the perpetrator of violence will keep coming back for more bites.