I have shared my experience with sexual abuse before on this Substack and across a few other platforms. When Ronan Farrow exposed the decades of abuse perpetrated by Harvey Weinstein in a 2017 New Yorker article, he opened the floodgates, along with Tarana Burke, the founder of the #metoo movement. People began posting their own stories of abuse on social media, and suddenly, victims of sexual assault across the world knew they weren’t alone.
For a lot of us who have been abused by sexual predators, the triggers began all the way back in 2015 when the king of all sexual predators descended down that golden escalator. When the Billy Bush recording came out, I thought for sure this would be the end of his campaign, but well, we all know the outcome.
I don’t know about y’all, but his presidency was triggering AF.
So when the New Yorker article came out, my trauma nerves were already frayed, and I absorbed the stories women shared, but could not bring myself to share my own. In 2018, when the Senate confirmation hearings of Brett Kavanaugh were happening, I really struggled, but I still stayed quiet. I mean, “boys will be boys,” amirite?
At this point, I had made the very misguided decision of confronting my abuser. I guess I thought he’d admit what he did and apologize, but instead, he accused me of being crazy, that I was “looking for a pay day,” and then he turned my family against me.
JEANNE CASTEEN has a bachelor’s degree in human communication and history from the Hugh Downs School of Human Communication at ASU and a master’s in education, also from ASU. Jeanne has over 11 years of experience teaching in Maricopa County’s public schools. In 2011, Jeanne completed the Emerge Arizona program and in 2012 became a school board member of the Creighton School District. She served as Board President from 2016 through 2020. In 2020, Ms. Casteen ran for Maricopa County School Superintendent, and came within 12,000 votes of winning. She has been awarded the Arizona School Public Relations Association Award for Excellence in Advocacy and Political Contributions to Education as well as the Arizona School Board Association’s All-Arizona School Board Member Award.
Author: Jeanne Casteen, Secular AZ Executive Director
JEANNE CASTEEN has a bachelor’s degree in human communication and history from the Hugh Downs School of Human Communication at ASU and a master’s in education, also from ASU. Jeanne has over 11 years of experience teaching in Maricopa County’s public schools. In 2011, Jeanne completed the Emerge Arizona program and in 2012 became a school board member of the Creighton School District. She served as Board President from 2016 through 2020. In 2020, Ms. Casteen ran for Maricopa County School Superintendent, and came within 12,000 votes of winning. She has been awarded the Arizona School Public Relations Association Award for Excellence in Advocacy and Political Contributions to Education as well as the Arizona School Board Association’s All-Arizona School Board Member Award. View all posts by Jeanne Casteen, Secular AZ Executive Director →
I don’t know about y’all, but his presidency was triggering AF.
