Things I'm afraid to say in public

Art by Reza Bassiri

Inspired by this Twitter conversation, I thought I'd start being less afraid of who I am and how I think and what I think. I need to come to terms with the fact that not everyone will like me, and there is nothing I can do about it. The typical need of a survivor is always to please others; I'm learning to shed it. The violence in my childhood taught me to keep my head down and to be quiet, but I'm not a child anymore, and unless I stop being afraid and be me, I won't b...