To all the women who have been assaulted: I believe you. I believe that this has gutted you at times. I believe that this has made you feel smaller than small some days, and other days like you are the sun itself for making it out alive. I believe you.Your assault wasn’t insignificant, and anyone who says otherwise is wrong. It was assault. This never should have happened. It wasn’t okay, and it will never be okay.I hope someone near you reminds you that you’re incredible for going through this and still showing up to work — or for not showing up to work. You are strong. You were strong when you came forward, and you were strong when you weren’t ready to come forward. I’m sorry this world won’t protect you, but there is a whole host of people out there who believe you and believe you never deserved this, that no one ever deserves this.In case the world is telling you something else, I know you know that you aren’t doing this for attention. There are far less vulnerable ways to get attention. The number of women who have come on to your assaulter before is irrelevant; you don’t need to move on at anyone’s pace but your own. Please get any and all help you can, and don’t listen to anyone who is trying to shut you up with “move on”; those people are small. It has nothing to do with what you were wearing or what you did. This was done because the person who did it is an assaulter. That’s why. That’s the whole why.I hope you read something like this, and I hope the people around you remind you that you are believed. I believe you. I believe your pain and anger and confusion and hope and distrust and misplaced guilt and the way you still cry about it sometimes, because you hope it won’t happen to your own daughter. And it might. Because there are still people out there who think you spoke up to get fame — including, possibly, the very man who assaulted you.But we believe you.