Strongly disagree that that was shitty! She didn’t at all say that her frustration with others’ reactions to her job is equivalent to having PTSD. She said that aspects of the authors’ experience are relatable for a lot of people-- the way identity is subsumed into career, the defensiveness, etc.

So I’m having the…

I guess I don’t feel the way some of the other commentors do. I got misty-eyed and found your article quite romantic. Perhaps it isn’t what someone might think of as traditionally romantic, but your life hasn’t necessarily been “traditional”. Hope can be a fearful thing, full of worry and fret, but in the end it…

“The first time Arran showed up at my door with an armful of roses, an easy smile spread across his face, I felt a strong sense of aversion. His kindness made me uncomfortable. Wholeheartedness wasn’t something I was accustomed to. It became a practice to not pull away.”

Okay, but acknowledge that a lot of “anti-traffickers” do work that directly harms people who sell sex, including survival sex workers and trafficking victims. It’s especially sad because those groups do need help, but they’re not getting the kind of help they actually need. Which is Melissa’s entire point.