I Have The Right To

I had the pleasure of hearing Chessy Prout, author and advocate, speak at the Bloomberg Equality Summit in March.  Chessy is the author of I Have the Right To: A High School Survivor’s Story of Sexual Assault, Justice and Hope with journalist Jenn Abelson (who worked at the Boston Globe on the stories that inspired Spotlight) and with a forward by Congresswoman Ann McLane Kuster.  What makes this account so compelling is that Chessy has the courage to take us to the night in question and walk us through an encounter that started with high hopes for fun and romance and ended with Chessy being the victim of a pre-planned attack.  It gives a clear look at the moment-to-moment dynamic that any young woman might face in the same circumstances.  Chessy, who was fifteen, thought she was going to spend a few stolen moments with a boy she kinda liked, that they would look out at the view from a tower on campus and, okay, yes, maybe kiss a little before they returned to the graduation festivities.  She never expected to be backed into a room where she was overpowered and raped, her pleas to “Stop!” and “No!” ignored.  Chessy’s story to this point is far too common.  That Chessy had the courage to go up against the school, which closed ranks around the boy, and then take her story public is what makes this narrative so inspiring.  As Chessy asserts, she had the right to tell her story and demand justice – that despite demands from school officials and former friends not to “ruin his life,” she had the right to fight for her own life, to stand up for herself and other young women like her and demand justice.  She has gone on to help found the organization I Have The Right To, a source of information and support for survivors and their friends and families.  Brava, Chessy – and thank you.