My family made me feel invisible and unloveable, too. It's really hard to deprogram from a lifetime of that thinking, but stay focused on building your self esteem. You have to always remember to go easy on yourself and remind yourself that YOU love you. Everyone else is an add-on, and you are enough just the way you…

Sweetie, I think you fell in love with an asshole :( of course you don't deserve to be treated that way, I think she knows you have feelings for her and are thus vulnerable, and she is just enjoying a power trip. Don't beat yourself up, you will find a better person in time.

*possible trigger sexual assault*

The whole time I read the article at NYT I kept thinking about how my ex who did NONE of the house work also pressured and manipulated and guilted me into TONS of sex that I never wanted.

Finally some common sense! It wouldn't have been so bad yesterday if we could have used a public transit railway, but 'noooooooo we don't want the inner city black population having easy access to our beautiful white suburbs...' UGH. (People will actually say that shit too)

All of these commenters are so mean.

In my case, what people have said has been worse than the actual rape (or assault, whatever the label is). Obviously that's not the case for most victims, so I must be lucky. But in my case, it has been one thing to be betrayed by a date I didn't know too well, but to be betrayed by my entire society is unbearable.

I think its also the fear of people not believing you and arguing that what you experienced wasn't "rape-rape". Like if it doesn't completely meet their definition then you have no reason to complain and it's all in your head. It's hard enough to deal with this shit as it is, I don't need people telling me I'm wrong…

*trigger warning* discussing coercive sex/rape -

I had never heard that machine noise, thank you. Loud sounds can make me pretty nervous (I had an MRI once, eerrrghh!)

Congratulations on getting free from religious sex shaming. Sex is such a beautiful and intimate thing when done right.

I didn't have sex for months until mid-Nov, and we used a condom 100% of the time. I think I'm pregnant.

I tried to read the Handmaid's Tale but it felt too much like a Republican wet dream.

I'm seriously thinking of leaving the fucking COUNTRY this year.

Why exactly is this an article on Jezebel?

I am here too! I've started counseling in early 2013, and it has been amazing. It is still difficult though, to not be afraid of everyone I meet until they prove themselves non-dangerous....but I always remind myself, there's no light switch, it's a process.

Cutting off the clitoris is akin to cutting off the head of a penis. So female circumcision is NOT the same as common male circumcision.

That was thoroughly entertaining.

You keep talking about the "net societal benefit", but my rights are not a numbers game.

I would love to see a game or movie where the lead is female and has to save a male character. I was really annoyed when I heard they altered Salt so that Jolie didn't save her spouse the way they had planned to have in the original male-lead script. Apparently it would be "emasculating" to have someone who is badass…