You are not alone.

If you are a survivor, you are not alone.
If you are scared, you are not alone.
If you want to fight, you are not alone.

An accused rapist is the President-Elect of the United States. We know violence did not begin with Trump. Since its founding, America has nursed itself on genocide, rape, and enslavement. Living in a country that employs white patriarchy as a mechanism of control, means that we live in a nation regularly acting their will on us, with or without our consent.

Whether it’s Black folks in Flint demanding clean drinking water, Native communities in Standing Rock fighting against construction that would destroy the burial ground of their ancestors, or the 13 survivors who have spoken out against Trump –  here is what we know without a doubt: this is rape culture.

The reality is, violence connects us all – but the love that connects us is even greater. The sanctity of our bodies does not begin and end with the state. We find sanctuary in the Monument Quilt – the 1700 stories told by FORCE community members of what it means to survive. We find sanctuary in our public campaigns to elevate the voices of survivors. Most importantly, we find sanctuary in each other- in lifting up the ways we continue to resist, despite the violence of racism, transphobia, and other forms of oppression.

No matter the work, the connective thread is always the same: we are not alone.

And yet the despair is real. The FORCE staff spent the last weekend together talking about our fears for the future, what it could mean to live as survivors during a Trump Presidency.  We all know one thing: we can’t stop fighting. FORCE is a movement that we come to as we are. It doesn’t matter if we are scared, angry, sad or shocked, we do this work together.

And the work is great. We need to talk about what Trump’s election means for people of color, Muslims, LGBTQ folks, and other communities that will be even more targeted by his administration. We need to build more healing spaces and sites of resistance. We need White allies to engage in loving accountability with their families, communities and friends to confront the myth of a post-racial America. Denial can no longer be the answer.

Racism is real. Rape is real. Xenophobia is real.

We are here with you to do this work.

Knowing that Trump’s actions are abusive, we are asking you to join your voice to ours. Send us your messages of support for survivors in the face of Trump’s abusive actions, in 20 words or less. Your words will be used for an action FORCE is planning to let Trump’s administration know that survivors will not be silent. Send your messages to upsettingrapeculture@gmail.com.

Help us build a country that is a sanctuary for survivors.