Let her speak: Tara Moss calls for change to Tasmanian law

TARA Moss has shared her experiences as a survivor of sexual harassment, assault and rape. Now she’s calling for gagged victims to be able to tell their stories too.

2 min read

November 8, 2018 - 1:54PM

AUTHOR, documentary maker and former model Tara Moss supports calls from sexual assault survivor Jane Doe to tell the story of her rape in Tasmania.

“I believe the laws in Tasmania should come into line with other states, to reflect a survivor’s right to tell her or his own story” the Australian-Canadian said.

“We have the right, as human beings, to have a voice and to tell our stories if we choose to. Gagging survivors, even for the most well meaning purposes, is hugely problematic and sends a message that they have no agency, no control over their own stories and their own lives, just as they had no choice in what was done to them.”

Tara Moss shows her support for the Let Her Speak campaign.

Tara is an internationally acclaimed author of 11 books and in her first non fiction book, The Fictional Woman, she details several cases of sexual harassment and assault she has experienced in her life, including a rape at age 21, committed by a man who offered her a lift after an acting class in Vancouver.

Though she went to police and her assailant later did jail time after several more women came forward with charges against the same man, it took Tara almost 20 years to publicly tell her story in full.

“Not everyone is in a position to speak out, or at a place in their lives where that is something they can manage or wish to do, but when survivors do speak out it can be immensely important and we should respect that right and listen, and allow them the dignity of a name if they choose to be identified,” she said.

Tara Moss wrote about being raped in her book Fictional Woman.

Even before the #MeToo movement, in 2016, Tara published Speaking Out, a handbook for women on how to find their voice.

“There has long been a deeply damaging history of silence around issues of sexual assault and abuse. Silence shames the victims or survivors of sexual violence, and it protects the predators,” she said.

“Silence also fuels misunderstanding and myth, perpetuating misconceptions about victims or survivors, and about perpetrators themselves: Who this happens to; who commits these crimes; what sexual assault actually is.

TAKE ACTION: Sign the petition to Let Her Speak

“#MeToo has been a huge moment for making the world face the size of the problem through the voices of survivors.

“The fact that more survivors are now speaking out is an empowering step for all survivors and for our communities and society as a whole. It also helps those who may not — at this moment — be in a position to safely talk about their experience by showing them they are not alone, are not to blame and there is a way forward.”

Tara, who is UNICEF Australia’s National Ambassador for Child Survival, is now speaking out in support of Jane Doe’s right to tell her story.

“You can survive,” Tara said. “This does not define you. To Jane Doe, you are brave and you deserve to be heard. Thank you for your voice.”

If you or someone you know is affected by sexual assault, please call 1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732).

To support the campaign, sign and share the petition here.