Poster child

Someone asked me if I'm not doing a disservice to others who have experienced child sexual exploitation, and re-exploitation, by referring to myself as a "dumb slut."  I can clear that up, for those who might be thinking the same thing. Anything I say or do that is legit, like having a story published, or speaking up about a wrong I have witnessed, is often followed by somebody pointing out my past mistakes, which has tended to discredit whatever good thing I may have said or done.  My way of combating that is to be honest from the get go.  My history is full of behavior that others know about.  When my name comes up, those behaviors are often mentioned at some point, and anything decent I was saying or doing somehow gets erased when that happens.  This is what I meant, in earlier blog posts making it clear I am not someone like Colin Kaepernick. I'm not the face people want as a representative for any cause.  I am nobody's idea of a poster child.  My knowledge and education has been limited, and I have had many hook ups, which up until a few years ago, were often with people in committed relationships.  These are the two biggest things I have heard others use to discredit me over the years.  If I don't get those things out there up front, someone's damn sure gonna bring them up later.  So, I choose to make those aspects of my life clear, and I do it in the manner I have chosen.  I would rather be honest early, than have any past mistakes used to discredit something important I am trying to accomplish now.  

I am thankful to have been given a chance to answer this myself, instead of people deciding on their own why I am doing something.