Others’ coping mechanism is to normalize it—as my research assistant Priyanka Sutaria had. She’s an impressive poet; here’s an excerpt from a poem she wrote320: scene: my boss is interviewing me for the job I will eventually take up, and she asks me if I have ever experienced sexual violence. I say no. scene: it is my first day at work and my boss is still wondering how I have made it through life without experiencing sexual violence, and I tell her that I have never been assaulted, but I ignore the daily reminders that I am not safe in this world as a woman. flashback: my boyfriend and his
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