I’m Megan, and in my early twenties I was in an abusive relationship that lasted several years. He forced me to engage in sexual acts with himself and with others. He hit me and endangered my life. When I finally got away, his last revenge was to post a fake LinkedIn profile of me, telling lies and showing a photo of me being forced to do a sexual act. For the last ten years, I’ve been trying to get LinkedIn to take it down, but they always said it wasn’t against their policy and I should contact the person who made it (not a good idea).

After another failed attempt, I made a post on Threads. I didn’t think much would come of it, but people rallied and the profile got taken down. But it was done quietly behind the scenes. No apology. No accountability. And the people behind me found something new to rally for. I’m left with the trauma of reliving this experience so loudly. I’m not functioning, I’m too sick to work, and I’ve lost my income. The photo is still a search result on Google, which still affects me and any job prospects.

More than anything, I want time to rest. Some time to heal and truly take my life back, without the threat of bankruptcy always over my head. I’m tired of running and trying to forget. If my abuser can’t be held accountable, and these companies can’t be held accountable, I just want time to find myself beyond the trauma.

These words from Taylor Swift say what I’m trying to in fewer words: “Give me back my girlhood, it was mine first.”