After The Washington Post published a previously unreleased audio clip of Donald Trump on Friday in which the candidate said horrific things about women, backlash against the presidential hopeful has been swift. In the 2005 clip, Trump is heard implying that because he's a star, he's entitled to kiss women without waiting for permission and "grab them by the p*ssy." Not only has his opponent Hillary Clinton condemned those statements, but several celebrities have spoken up, from Arnold Schwarzenegger to Sophia Bush. On Sunday, Amber Tamblyn put Trump's comments into perspective with a powerful post of her own, in which she recalled her own alleged sexual assault.
Tamblyn shared a photo of Trump kissing a pageant queen on the cheek, along with a lengthy caption recapping an alleged sexual assault by her ex-boyfriend that's hard to stomach, but worth reading in its entirety. The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants actor first noted that she had "the love and support" of her husband, before diving into a heartbreaking, yet important message about an allegedly abusive ex-boyfriend. She began,
A very long time ago I ended a long emotionally and physically abusive relationship with a man I had been with for some time. One night I was at a show with a couple girlfriends in Hollywood, listening to a DJ we all loved. I knew there was a chance my ex could show up, but I felt protected with my girls around me.
She then stated that she did not want to share all of the details, but claimed that the man did show up and went up to her in the crowd. What allegedly happened next is rather disturbing. She continued,
He's a big guy, taller than me. The minute he saw me, he picked me up with one hand by my hair and with his other hand, he grabbed me under my skirt by my vagina— my p*ssy?— and lifted me up off the floor, literally, and carried me, like something he owned, like a piece of trash, out of the club. His fingers were practically inside of me, his other hand wrapped tightly around my hair. I screamed and kicked and cried.
After others reportedly unsuccessfully attempted to stop her ex, Tamblyn claimed that the guy's brothers luckily intervened at the door. She described what happened next as a blur, and then connected the alleged incident to Trump and the candidate's just-released comments. Wrote Tamblyn,
That part of my body, which the current Presidential Nominee of the United States Donald Trump recently described as something he’d like to grab a woman by, was bruised from my ex-boyfriend's violence for at least the next week. I had a hard time wearing jeans. I couldn’t sleep without a pillow between my legs to create space.
While she admitted she's scared that this story will break her parents' hearts, she said that she needed to share it. Explained Tamblyn, "I needed to tell a story. Enjoy the debates tonight." With that powerful ending, the star is reminding people why Sunday night's debates are worth watching and why Trump's words are more than just "locker room talk" — they're condoning a violent culture, where men feel entitled to women's bodies. You can read Tamblyn's full post below.
I respect Tamblyn for being so honest about the alleged scary incident and sharing her story in the hopes of opening people's eyes. Her heartbreaking post is a reminder that Trump's words are incredibly dangerous, and should not be shrugged off or swept under the rug.
