I’ve gone under several pseudonyms online and in different work settings, all to protect my identity from strangers and other kinds of threats I’d like to not revisit.

For this blog, I had to assume a different one because this would, and has from the start, talked about people ad events that deserve attention in a different light. Ones that will know that most topics are about them once it connects to me.

Part of me felt like this was an insurance policy. If something were to happen to me, enough people who know who I am outside of here can speak about what I left behind.

I have questioned what type of backlash would come of it, even if/when my “cover is blown.” Even more if I’m still living where I currently do. It’s hard to predict the acts of toxic people, no matter how long you’ve known or even lived with them. But it’s not stopping another version of the truth to come out.

If it did, I wouldn’t be here writing it for as long as I have.

No matter how you identify yourself in telling a personal story that means something to you, don’t let anxiety or fear stop you from sharing it. They thrive off your silence. Them believing that you’re keeping it in, when you’ve done anything but, might be what saves you from any level of harm they’re capable of.

And how sad is it that people will threaten your safety because of telling your truth? We’ve seen it in movies and through public figures how that plays out. Even they can’t serve as a template for reasons your past must stay buried inside you.

Write it, draw it, shout it, even if it’s only for you and not the public. Just as long as it’s done. It’s a way to take your power back, and too many of us have felt weak long enough.

D.F.