I can't believe you still remember, since the one time I did discuss it, it was years ago. And the context was being angry with myself for not having said no since at the time, I didn't think about all the other ways in which I'd tried to say no without having to say the word.

I think that being able to reflect on the reasons behind why I didn't say "no" outright is what made me eventually post this. I've been wanting to do something for Sexual Assault Awareness Month, but not sure what, and suddenly having an epiphany about how culture ties into violence versus verbal defense seemed like a good topic.

And a personal story makes my point better than an abstract essay could. But I am glad that I'm stronger now, and I'm glad that I'm also strong enough to accept that I did fight back at least a little back then, and that I got out before anything truly awful happened.