Nearly all of the people TIME interviewed about their experiences expressed a crushing fear of what would happen to them personally, to their families or to their jobs if they spoke up.
For some, the fear was borne of a threat of physical violence. Pascual felt trapped and terrified when her harasser began to stalk her at home, but felt she was powerless to stop him. If she told anyone, the abuser warned her, he would come after her or her children.
Those who are often most vulnerable in society—immigrants, people of color, people with disabilities, low-income workers and LGBTQ people—described many types of dread. If they raised their voices, would they be fired? Would their communities turn against them? Would they be killed? According to a 2015 survey by the National Center for Transgender Equality, 47% of transgender people report being sexually assaulted at some point in their lives, both in and out of the workplace.
Cissy's note: As it says in this article, there are so many reasons for silence. Maybe fear for one's life, safety, personal and professional survival. Maybe shame or valid worry of not being believed or fear of being persecuted or hurt even more.Many with ACEs have faced the pain of not being seen, heard or even believed if one dared to speak in words. Sometimes, there's freedom and it's life -changing and saving. But it's not always wise or even possible to tell the truth. It's not always possible to recover or come back and the truth isn't something people are always willing to hear, accept, respond to or deal with. I started being honest about my own life, to myself and to others, over decades, sharing more and more truth, hiding less and less truth. There's always more truth to tell and to hear and bear witness to. I believe breaking silence isn't something we can force or require of anyone and that feels important to say today even as I celebrate this cover. I believe we not only have to celebrate truth telling but how people bear the truth that can't be shared and how we can all learn to hear and receive it better so this burden isn't so big.I have to admit I saw the cover and worried it would only be about celebrities. I was wrong. I know that there isn't always a happy ending or a resolution when one shares but sometimes there is so much solidarity, relief and inspiration. I feel some of that today. I also appreciate @Louise Godbold for sharing her insights and experiences about being a silence breaker. She is one of the many I thought of when I saw this cover.
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