The Challenge‘sLaurel Stuckyis opening up about a traumatic experience from her past.
In an emotional Instagram post on Wednesday, Stucky, 33, revealed she was raped at the age of 21, when she was still a virgin.
“I don’t know how many people know outside of my close circle of friends, I’ve begun to share bits here and there, but I was raped at 21 yrs [sic] old as a virgin. I plan to share more about what happened in my own way, on my own time, but I feel strongly about communicating the importance of consent,” she wrote. “Making sure our sexual experiences feel safe and comfortable should be what we all search to have.”
Along with the message, Stucky shared a photo of herself wearing a shirt that read “Consent is sexy” across the front. In her post, she stressed the importance of getting verbal consent before engaging in sexual activity.
Frazer Harrison/Getty
“Consent is getting a ‘yes, I want to do this’ as a response to moving further,” she explained. “Consent is asking if the other person is okay and hearing ‘yes’. It sounds obvious, but it’s not, because too many people have been assaulted and it hurts.”
Stucky said she “wished” the man who sexually assaulted her had asked for consent, and she would have said “no”.
“My life and so many others have been critically altered because someone couldn’t have just made sure I was okay with what was happening,” she said. “I can’t tell you how many times I wished the guy who did it had only asked if I wanted it too. I would have said no. And who knows where my life would have gone. For years, I struggled with a lot, but primarily being able to take control of my choices. I realize now, this was a way to compensate for a very important choice being taken away from me.”
If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, please contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673) or go toonline.rainn.org.
source: people.com
