Taylor Swift: ‘I Believe the Victim’ in Sexual Assault Cases
Taylor Swift stands up for sexual assault victims in a new essay she wrote for Elle magazine.
"It’s my opinion that in cases of sexual assault, I believe the victim," Swift writes as part of an essay on the thirty lessons she's learned before turning thirty.
Swift went to court with a former Denver radio personality, David Mueller, after she says he grabbed her butt during a meet and greet at one of her concerts in 2013. Mueller lost his job after the groping incident, but he denied any wrongdoing and sued Swift, claiming she and her team targeted him and led to his firing. She countersued, alleging sexual assault, and a Denver jury unanimously sided with Swift after a week-long trial in August of 2017. Instead of asking for a lavish amount of money, Swift collected a symbolic one dollar from Mueller.
"Coming forward is an agonizing thing to go through," Swift continues in her essay. "I know because my sexual assault trial was a demoralizing, awful experience. I believe victims because I know firsthand about the shame and stigma that comes with raising your hand and saying 'This happened to me.' It’s something no one would choose for themselves. We speak up because we have to, and out of fear that it could happen to someone else if we don’t."
Swift also covered a number of other topics, including how the Route 91 Harvest Festival shooting changed her view of touring, her mother's cancer returning and why she decided to turn off comments on her social media.
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