April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month and Unshame is calling for those of us who feel comfortable to come out and say: This is the face of a rape survivor. Since you can’t see me:

These are the words of a rape survivor.

I shared about that rape back in 2008. Because I have also survived abusive relationships and believe the shaming there goes even deeper, I also want to unshame that.

There is nothing shameful about being raped, sexually assaulted, or being in an abusive relationship. What is wrong is to rape, sexually assault, or abuse. As I have pointed out before, I don’t think shaming is useful, so I will not call for the perpetrators to feel ashamed. Instead, I want them to acknowledge their guilt of doing something that hurt another human being.

Throughout April, I plan to write blog posts that are loosely related to the unshaming campaign. Starting a bit early, especially if I can get a blog post out of my head into this site…