Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez reveals she’s a sexual assault survivor while discussing Capitol insurrection

by Anagha Srikanth | Feb. 2, 2021 | Feb. 02, 2021

Story at a glance

In an Instagram livestream, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez discussed the insurrection on the United States Capitol and her experience on that day.
She also revealed that she is a survivor of sexual assault.
The attack was traumatic not only for those who were present but also for many who watched.

If you or someone you know is a survivor of sexual assault, you can call the National Sexual Assault Hotline to speak with someone at 1-800-656-4673.

In an emotional account of her experience during the insurrection on the United States Capitol, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) revealed that she is among the 1 in 6 American women who are survivors of sexual assault.

“I’m a survivor of sexual assault,” Ocasio-Cortez said during the livestream Monday. “And I haven’t told many people that in my life. But when we go through trauma, trauma compounds on each other.”

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Texas Sen. Ted Cruz and others have said publicly that it’s “time to move on” from the attack. But less than a month after the attack, some are only just registering and processing their trauma. In her livestream, Ocasio-Cortez compared the comments to tactics of abusers, “of that man who touched you inappropriately at work, telling you to move on.”

“Are they going to believe you?” she asked. “Or the adult who, you know, if they hurt you when you were a child and you grow up and you confront them about it, and they try to tell you that what happened never happened.”

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Gaslighting is one of several forms of psychological abuse that can accompany physical or sexual abuse, subtly manipulating victims by making them question their own memory, perception or judgement. While it is most often discussed in the context of relationships, it can also take place on a larger scale.

Afterwards, Ocasio-Cortez thanked her followers on social media for “making the space” for her, emphasizing that her story “isn’t the only story, nor is it the central story.” Many users commented messages of support as well as their own experiences both with sexual assault and trauma from Jan. 6.

Thanks for making the space for me, and hope we can all make space for others to tell their stories in the weeks to come.

And to those who wish to paper over their misdeeds by rushing us to all “move on” – we can move on when the individuals responsible are held to account.

— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) February 2, 2021