In 2023, the Durham Police Department caught a serial rapist. In 2024, North Carolina elected one to be president.

At least 26 women have accused President-elect Donald Trump of sexual assault, sexual misconduct and rape. His reelection is an affront to his victims and to survivors of sexual violence nationwide. 

Weeks before the 2016 election, The Washington Post published the now infamous Access Hollywood tape, which had been recorded in 2005. 

“When you’re a star, they let you do it,” Trump said. “You can do anything. Grab ‘em by the pussy.” 

And he did. Last year, a jury found Trump was liable for sexual abuse and defamation against writer E. Jean Carroll for a 1996 assault.

The first time I was assaulted, I decided not to report what had happened to me – not because I feared judgment or retribution, but because I knew justice was out of reach.

A 2018 inventory of the Durham Police Department found more than 1,700 untested sexual assault kits, some dating back decades. Those tests, which are remarkably invasive and traumatic, were left untouched. 

Since then, Attorney General and Governor-elect Josh Stein has led a statewide effort to end the rape kit backlog in our state, announcing in April of this year that North Carolina had processed almost 12,000 untested kits since the initiative began. 

That progress was made by legislators and investigators listening to advocates and survivors. 

So when I was assaulted for a second time, I chose to report it. I have no new profound faith in our justice system, but I am certain that my inaction puts me no closer to closure.

None of this is to say that those who choose not to report their assaults are making the wrong choice; many survivors don’t have access to vital resources and support. Reporting can be a long process full of confusion and pain, and it often doesn’t result in any answers or remedies.

Organizations like the Durham County Crisis Center provide services like counseling, temporary housing and legal advocacy for survivors of sexual violence, but they can’t change the social structures that have manufactured and sanctioned this harm. 

This isn’t a new concern. Calls to rape crisis centers surged in 2016 when Trump was first elected. We all understand the impact, and yet we did it again. 

This is an opportunity for dialogue about the pervasiveness of sexual violence in our country, and for the lack of justice survivors receive. 

The #MeToo movement, which gained traction in 2017, was a beginning. Thousands of people came forward on social media about their assaults and there was a colossal increase in public awareness of the effects and proximity of sexual violence.

But concerns with false allegations, and a lack of concrete legislative reform, stunted the movement’s growth. 

Survivors need a new avenue for reform and relief, and that starts with accountability. Trump won this election, and we should examine why his well-known history of rampant sexual abuse wasn’t enough of a barrier in his return to the White House. 

Trump’s second term will only be four years, but our nation’s endorsement of sexual violence will last much longer. We gain nothing by staying silent.

Recognizing, listening and advocating are how we can disrupt this acceptance of sexual violence and restore survivors’ trust in our country’s electorate. 

We can be angry. We can be discouraged. But we need to be loud.