Fear in the clinic

YOUR story on Friday titled “Men with loudspeakers target sex health clinic” angered me so much that I felt I had to write in.

I was attending a session at the Sandyford clinic in Glasgow on the day those men were outside protesting.

I was left physically shaking with fight-or-flight emotions.

Rage pulsed through me and in part I was frozen, again, unable to do anything, just like I did when I was raped.

I refuse to call myself a victim, however, the Sandyford has been my place of being able to resolve the feelings and the aftermath/trauma that ugly rape leaves the person with. The Sandyford has saved me from letting my rapist “win or succeed” in removing any power I had/have.

I am all for the right to debate and voice opinions, however I am NOT OK with men standing outside a premises which they have clearly targeted.

By that fact alone they are bullies, knowing whom the audience they are lashing out at are.

In my opinion if these men stopped just for a minute they would realise they are no better than any rapist. It is all about the power, power to assert words, emotions, physicality.

The point is – rape is because someone feels the need to overpower another to point of hurt.

These men did exactly that the day I had to decide to attend my meeting or run away for fear of being unable to fight back.

How can they reconcile that their behaviour is nurturing, caring, the right thing to do?

What do they actually know about being raped? The despair and ugliness of the continual flashbacks and having to exist in a fog day to day, pretending that you are all right and are coping?

The Sandyford services are fantastic but bullies are pushing others like me to reconsider their safety when attending meetings to be at peace with Neanderthals like them.