Melanie was victimized by a friend after a college party. A friend brought her several drinks and later offered her a ride home. The next morning she woke up to find she wasn’t wearing any clothes and the guy was in her room. She was very confused and had little memory of what happened after the party. It took several years for her to fully realize what happened was rape.

When Kristen was 13, her family relocated to another state. In her new surroundings she found it hard to fit in and make friends. An older boy at school began showing her the attention she craved. He was good-looking, charming, her first crush. He raped her one day when she went to his house to hang out. He told her this is what love is. Her family never talked about sex so she was confused and afraid. She tried to confide in friends, but they spread rumors about her at school. Kristen later struggled with an eating disorder, exercise addiction, and cutting behaviors. Several years later she got counseling and overcame her body shame and learned about healthy relationships.

Tonya was raped while on a date. They had consensual sex previously and she had decided afterwards she just wanted to spend time getting to know him. After the assault she blamed herself. She started smoking, drinking, and was unable to have healthy relationships with men. She confided in a school psychologist who helped her realize the incident was rape and that she was not at fault.

Matthew has just completed a 10-year sentence for rape. When he was 18, he had sexual contact with a girl who was 12. He knew what he did was morally wrong, but he didn’t know that according to the law it was rape. Now he is a registered sex offender. For the rest of his life, he will have to check in with the sheriff’s department 4 times a year to update his personal information. He can never work with children or live within 1000 feet of a school. He and his parents want others to learn from his story.

Preview video clip: “I Never Thought It was Rape”