Trigger-warning: The article below discusses sexual abuse.

I’m not the snowflake the media paints me out to be. I am a survivor of sexual abuse.

Directors, writers, creators, and actors sing this song of shedding awareness or bringing light to the heartbreaking struggles that so many worldwide go through. They share stories about people and characters from all walks of life that are nothing short of inspired. Many sacrifice everything to bring a whole new world to life on the screen before us. To that, I am grateful and endlessly impressed.

I respect and admire the creators and their work, so why do I choose VidAngel?

Great question. I tried watching Firefly Lane without VidAngel. It’s about two lifelong best friends with a very This is Us approach with the back-and-forth mysterious present storyline versus full-of-context past storylines. One of the friends is named Tully. In the second episode, young Tully goes to a party with a boy and is date-raped. I naively thought, surely, they wouldn’t actually show it. I was wrong. 

If raising awareness is your goal, somebody already beat you to it. I’m aware. I’m well versed in this topic. But I can’t stomach seeing another victim, fictional or not. So why do I watch it? I’d still like to see how the character perseveres. I want to see the part of the movie that shows their strength, how they got through it, and what made them a survivor. 

I don’t care about swearing. Seeing someone’s butt cheek won’t ruin my day. However, reliving past experiences will. I chose VidAngel to watch great shows without worrying about scenes dramatizing my own traumatic events. 

And as a survivor, I wish I could say I am completely healed and don’t need a silly service to make me feel a little more comfortable while watching shows. But I do. This doesn’t make me weak. This doesn’t make me a prude. This makes me human.

I want to hear you tell your story. I just want to be able to gloss over the more sensitive parts. Kind of like if you’ve ever told a story to multiple people but left out or glossed over specific details depending on the person you’re speaking with. VidAngel is that conversational filter, but for movies. This service is a godsend.