A Thank You Letter to Donald Trump

Dear Mr. Trump,

I have watched, read, and listened to you and your actions over the last year. While many thoughts have come to my mind, after everything in these last few weeks, I have but two words for you.

Thank you.

I want to thank you for starting a conversation in this country about sexual assault. While some have been quick to defend this, “locker room talk” many others have taken to the podium. Women everywhere have opened themselves to the public through Twitter, blogs, or even confiding in friends. Because of you, women everywhere were inspired to begin a much needed dialogue of the horrific truth of sexual assault in this country.

One woman, Kelly Oxford, encouraged women on Twitter to tweet their sexual assault stories, using #notokay. Thousands upon thousands of women tweeted their stories, some with several encounters, all equally heart breaking.

In just 140 characters or less, women everywhere made an impact. None of these stories were comfortable to read, but every single one of them are important. Because one in every five women will be sexually assaulted during their time in college alone. Of those women, 42% of them will remain silent about their assault.

This country has a problem with sexual assault, and the way it handles sexual assault. While we have a long ways to go in making a change in this country, we have finally started the conversation.

So, thank you, Donald Trump. Thank you for encouraging women to speak out. Thank you for encouraging men and women everywhere to stand against sexual assault. Thank you for proving rape culture is real, and it is #notokay. Most importantly, thank you for beginning a much needed dialogue about sexual assault in this country.

**If you are a victim of sexual assault, know you are not alone. You can find support through friends, counselors, or one of many sexual assault hotlines.

Tweets

Facts

SaveSave

• letter
• sexual assault
• thank you
• victim