I’ve been violated my entire life. Sexual assault and sexual harassment. By a man that I can’t even remember the face of when I was 3. By my own brother for many years. By random strangers. Usually I don’t let it get to me, but it has been lately and I realized it’s because I never acknowledge it and I’ve never spoken about to anyone in person. The main one that bothers me is the sexual abuse I endured by the hands of my brother. He would touch me, expose himself, grope me, peep at me…it was terrible. My hearts breaks every time I think of it. A part of me feels like it’s dying and I hate that. I’m so young still, but my soul feels so aged. However, there’s a part of me that invalidates my own experiences. A part that keeps saying “well, at least it wasn’t rape”. I have to keep reminding myself that even if it wasn’t rape, my trauma is still valid. But it’s getting harder to do everyday. I know I’m not the only one, but it certainly feels like I am.