Michelle Williams

The language was... Yeah, absolutely. You know, maybe you shouldn't be a Marine because you can't hack it. So first I was conditioned to understand that, you know, basically anything I heard, the appropriate or the thing to do that would best convey that I wanted to be on this team was silence. So it starts there.

And then there's the casual touching, like the men who just like find an excuse to stand behind me and put their hands around my waist or who would move me physically with their hands, just joking. Yeah. Just joking. Never mind that it was in the barracks where I lived. Never mind that I had an eating disorder. And never mind that I wasn't consenting. You know, you're a woman among men.

And then there's the casual touching, like the men who just like find an excuse to stand behind me and put their hands around my waist or who would move me physically with their hands, just joking. Yeah. Just joking. Never mind that it was in the barracks where I lived. Never mind that I had an eating disorder. And never mind that I wasn't consenting. You know, you're a woman among men.

And then there's the casual touching, like the men who just like find an excuse to stand behind me and put their hands around my waist or who would move me physically with their hands, just joking. Yeah. Just joking. Never mind that it was in the barracks where I lived. Never mind that I had an eating disorder. And never mind that I wasn't consenting. You know, you're a woman among men.

Again, why are you making a big deal out of this? So then that's the second level of conditioning. And then you learn to not believe other women. That, you know, the first platoon I was in, there were women who had had a sexual violation. I don't know the details fully, but I do know that the perpetrators were back in our platoon.

Again, why are you making a big deal out of this? So then that's the second level of conditioning. And then you learn to not believe other women. That, you know, the first platoon I was in, there were women who had had a sexual violation. I don't know the details fully, but I do know that the perpetrators were back in our platoon.

Again, why are you making a big deal out of this? So then that's the second level of conditioning. And then you learn to not believe other women. That, you know, the first platoon I was in, there were women who had had a sexual violation. I don't know the details fully, but I do know that the perpetrators were back in our platoon.

They'd been to some, you know, slap on the wrist, some degree of being removed, and then they were back. And I learned to question when women said, you know, this thing happened to me because I was hearing, well, what were you wearing? Had you been drinking? Were you supposed to be there? What did you expect?

They'd been to some, you know, slap on the wrist, some degree of being removed, and then they were back. And I learned to question when women said, you know, this thing happened to me because I was hearing, well, what were you wearing? Had you been drinking? Were you supposed to be there? What did you expect?

They'd been to some, you know, slap on the wrist, some degree of being removed, and then they were back. And I learned to question when women said, you know, this thing happened to me because I was hearing, well, what were you wearing? Had you been drinking? Were you supposed to be there? What did you expect?

And that kind of horrible, just heinous victim-blaming language I feel was very prevalent. So now you are isolated from feeling like you can speak up for yourself. You are disconnected from other women who could be your allies, but you're trying to be like the guys by distrusting them.

And that kind of horrible, just heinous victim-blaming language I feel was very prevalent. So now you are isolated from feeling like you can speak up for yourself. You are disconnected from other women who could be your allies, but you're trying to be like the guys by distrusting them.

And that kind of horrible, just heinous victim-blaming language I feel was very prevalent. So now you are isolated from feeling like you can speak up for yourself. You are disconnected from other women who could be your allies, but you're trying to be like the guys by distrusting them.

you've kind of normalized that men will sometimes touch you in a way that you don't love, but like you don't want to make a big deal out of it because you don't want to complain. And then, you know, when I was sexually assaulted, I was like this great numbness because there was kind of a sense of, I knew this was going to happen.

you've kind of normalized that men will sometimes touch you in a way that you don't love, but like you don't want to make a big deal out of it because you don't want to complain. And then, you know, when I was sexually assaulted, I was like this great numbness because there was kind of a sense of, I knew this was going to happen.

you've kind of normalized that men will sometimes touch you in a way that you don't love, but like you don't want to make a big deal out of it because you don't want to complain. And then, you know, when I was sexually assaulted, I was like this great numbness because there was kind of a sense of, I knew this was going to happen.

And it's hard to explain that, but it was like all of the quieting of the lesser evils made the greater evil It allowed it to happen in silence. There was nothing to say at that point, I felt. Of course, that's not every woman's experience. Again, there are women who fight very, very hard for justice. But in my experience, it was just like almost inevitable.

And it's hard to explain that, but it was like all of the quieting of the lesser evils made the greater evil It allowed it to happen in silence. There was nothing to say at that point, I felt. Of course, that's not every woman's experience. Again, there are women who fight very, very hard for justice. But in my experience, it was just like almost inevitable.

And it's hard to explain that, but it was like all of the quieting of the lesser evils made the greater evil It allowed it to happen in silence. There was nothing to say at that point, I felt. Of course, that's not every woman's experience. Again, there are women who fight very, very hard for justice. But in my experience, it was just like almost inevitable.

I at no point seriously considered reporting that assault in part because I lacked the language to name it and secondly because I knew it wouldn't be taken seriously or at least I felt that it would not be taken seriously. I saw and heard for years how we spoke about women who did report sexual assault and And I knew that it would somehow be my fault. I was there, wasn't I?