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Taylor Swift Talks About Importance Of Believing Sexual Assault Survivors, One Year After Her Own #MeToo Verdict
“I don't know what turn my life would have taken if people didn't believe me when I said that something had happened to me,” the singer said during a performance.
One year after claiming victory in her own sexual assault case, Taylor Swift is speaking out on the importance of believing other survivors.
Swift said that radio DJ David Mueller groped her during a photo opportunity at a Denver event in 2013 — an incident that was caught on camera.
Mueller claimed he was fired after she shared her accusations with her security team, who then told his boss, Time reports, and filed a lawsuit against Swift in 2015, seeking $3 million in damages. Swift filed a countersuit one month later, according to Rolling Stone, alleging assault and battery and asking for only $1 dollar.
A jury ruled in favor of Swift on August 14, 2017, and exactly one year later — during a performance in Tampa, Florida on Tuesday — Swift opened up about getting justice and her hopes for other sexual assault survivors, Billboard reports.
“This exact day a year ago, I was not playing a sold out stadium in Tampa. I was in a courtroom in Denver, Colorado,” she said. “Honestly, I was there for a sexual assault case. This day a year ago was the day that the jury sided in my favor and said that they believed me.”
“I just think about all the people that weren’t believed, and the people who haven’t been believed, or the people who are afraid to speak up because they think they won’t be believed,” she continued. “I just want to say I’m sorry to anyone who ever wasn't believed because I don't know what turn my life would have taken if people didn't believe me when I said that something had happened to me.”
She concluded by thanking her fans for their support, remarking, “I wanted to say that we have so so so much further to go and I’m so grateful to you guys for being there for me during what was a really really horrible part of my life.”
In a show of solidarity with Swift, some in the audience held up one dollar bills during the performance, as seen in fan-taken photos shared on social media.
Following her win last year, Swift released a statement saying she intended to help other sexual assault survivors.
“I acknowledge the privilege that I benefit from in life, in society and in my ability to shoulder the enormous cost of defending myself in a trial like this,” she said. “My hope is to help those whose voices should also be heard. Therefore, I will be making donations in the near future to multiple organizations that help sexual assault victims defend themselves.”
The Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network (RAINN) announced on Twitter in April that they’d received a “generous donation” from Swift. Incidentally, April is Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention month.
[Photo: Taylor Swift performs onstage during the "Reputation" stadium tour at Gillette Stadium on July 28, 2018 in Foxborough, Massachusetts. By Nicholas Hunt/TAS18/Getty Images for TAS]
