Inspired by the #MeToo movement, Breanna Stewart – a WNBA All-Star for the Seattle Storm who was the No. 1 pick and Rookie of the Year last year – revealed that she was sexually assaulted by someone who lived at the home of a relative when she was 9 years old.
Stewart in The Players Tribune:I don’t know how to say this part. I haven’t told many people. I’m not the most vulnerable person — I don’t talk about my feelings much — so this is uncomfortable.
I was molested for years.
The TV would flicker, and everything would be quiet. “It’s O.K.,” he’d say. He’d touch me and try to get me to touch him.
Sometimes I would try to pull my arm away, but I wasn’t as strong. I was just a kid.I’ll never forgive him.
But I’m not ashamed.
Every time I tell someone, I feel a little more unburdened.I’m still working through what comes next now that I have told my story. In sharing, I know that no matter how uncomfortable I typically am making things about myself, as a public survivor, I now assume a certain responsibility. So I’ll start by saying this: If you are being abused, tell somebody. If that person doesn’t believe you, tell somebody else. A parent, a family member, a teacher, a coach, a friend’s parent. Help is there.
Writing this article was incredibly courageous. Hopefully, by sharing her story, Stewart finds peace and helps others do the same.