Clergy-abuse survivor feels she cannot ignore the headlines
By Mary Dispenza, May 5, 2017, The Seattle Times
MY silence has been disturbing me. It’s a familiar reaction for survivors like me. But I can’t keep silent any longer. Silence keeps things in darkness and prevents us from seeing clearly in the light of day.
I don’t have the right to speak for or against Seattle Mayor Ed Murray or the man, Delvonn Heckard, who has accused the mayor of raping him as a teen. Nor do I want to.
However, I do have the right and responsibility to speak for myself, as a survivor of sexual abuse, and possibly for other survivors who have been sexually violated.
I have to talk about this issue and write about it. I just can’t stuff it down. Sexual abuse, well, it’s been . . .
