THREAD: When I created #LetHerSpeak in 2018, my goal was to challenge existing barriers which make it difficult for survivors who want to speak out to do so.

It was never to compel survivors to speak, or insist or expect that they share their stories and scars in public.

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As a public survivor myself, it is a deeply personal decision to choose to share. And one which can carry great personal cost.

It is critical to understand that each survivor's story belongs to them and them alone.

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When 'we' (the public) put the onus on survivors to publicly share their stories in the name of education, justice or anything else, we are burderning a group of ppl who already carry an almighty burden, & who already suffer from a deficit of access 2 resources, support & power/3

We are tasking the wrong group of people with work.

We are also ignoring the many barriers to disclosure which still exist for all survivors along with the additional further barriers which exist for particular groups of survivors who face compounding discrimination. /4

I have been increasingly concerned that instead of focussing on dismantling barriers which make it difficult to speak out or access justice & support, the onus has been shifting onto an expectation that survivors *should* speak out.

This is not empowering. /5

In fact, it obscures the work which still needs to be done.

It puts the onus of responsibility at the feet of the exhausted and makes survivors responsible for educating others through our pain which becomes performative and consumerist.

#LetHerSpeak was never #MakeThemSpeak./6