The one who raped me
is Jonathan Garcia Torres.
I have been protecting men like this
my entire life.
Only to be asked what I did
to deserve what happened to me.
To be called a liar.
To not be believed.
Even as a young woman,
by the people I cared about.
I think it’s time to stop
giving the Richards,
the Zacharys,
the Jonathans,
the man we called Dad,
only a letter,
or no name at all,
in an essay
or a conversation.
Because it isn’t for my safety.
Or yours.
Or their families’.
Or anyone else’s.
It’s for theirs.