BYU After #MeToo

This episode is all about how to help friends who have experienced sexual assault or harassment. We'll hear again from BYU's Sexual Assault Survivor Advocate Dr. Leavitt from Episode 10, Kylie from Episode 11, and Ariana from Episode 17. We'll also hear from Marianne, who helped her friend go to the Title IX Office. 

What started as a way for one BYU student to feel less alone became an Instagram page with close to 30 thousand followers and a movement that created real change at BYU. We hear from Sidney Draughon, BYU alumna and creator of the Honor Code Stories Instagram page. 

Hunter Alkonis talks about his experiences as a gay BYU student and explains why he believes reporting sexual assault is especially challenging for LGBTQIA+ students. 

BYU alumna shares her #MeToo story. 

Dr. Julie Valentine, associate dean of BYU's nursing department, discusses her work advocating for sexual assault survivors. Not only has she shepherded legislation through Congress and researched forensic nursing, but her work has revolutionized the use of sexual assault kits in Utah. Links to details about her work in my Linktree.  

Today I'm talking with Naomi Mortensen, founder of the BYU club Students Together Against Sexual Assault. Naomi is an incredible advocate for survivors of sexual assault. Some of her past experience on behalf of survivors includes the following: volunteering with the Women's Services and Resources Department at BYU; becoming a member of The Refuge's Rape Crisis Team; serving as president of the BYU Anti-Trafficking Club; and becoming a rape crisis counselor at The Center for Women and Children in Crisis. Naomi now works as an instructional content creator at RAINN, the nation's largest anti-sexual violence organization. You can find information about virtual STASA meetings on their Instagram page, https://www.instagram.com/byustasa. 

CORRECTION: In my narration, I say that Naomi has graduated from BYU. This is incorrect--she will graduate this year, in 2021. 

In this last episode of the three-part miniseries of women who survived sexual trauma as children, Mindy Lathen describes her experience and how using her voice has brought healing. Mindy is a postpartum doula and an advocate for mental health and sexual assault awareness. 

Sabrina* experienced sexual abuse as a child, and is now learning to manage her PTSD through therapy and psychiatry. She's also learning to put her mental health first, even when it means taking a break from her responsibilities as a caregiver and provider. *Name changed

I'm talking with the author Keira Shae about how writing her memoir has helped her heal from years of abuse that she experienced while growing up in Provo, Utah. Keira is the author of the memoir How the Light Gets In, poetry compilation Shades of Becoming: Poems of Faith Transition, and several published essays. You can visit her website at http://www.keirashae.net/ or buy her memoir on Amazon (https://www.amazon.com/dp/1948218070/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_ep_dp_YkpwBbBCNYJBX?pldnSite=1).

Trigger/content warning: graphic description of sexual assault. This episode has a detailed description of sexual assault. Kylie shares her story of being sexually assaulted. She then explains what consent means to her in a relationship now and how this experience has affected her.