Warning: Topics in this article contain themes of rape and sexual assault that may be sensitive to some readers. Proceed with caution.

Chanel Miller, a 27-year-old writer and artist, shared her story of sexual assault in 2015 at Stanford University. Her case was the one of Brock Turner, who was accused and convicted of assault with intent to rape and sexual penetration of an intoxicated and unconscious person. She was formerly known as Emily Doe to protect her identity, but now Chanel Miller has come out with her real name and a story to tell.

Miller released a memoir today called “Know My Name” to share her experience with sexual assault in 2015. When she was 22 years old, she went to a college party where she became drunk and eventually unconscious. She was at a frat party and was led to a secluded area behind the building by then 19-year-old Brock Turner. He was caught in the act and arrested on the spot and they went to court. Judge Persky was what some people believe unprofessionally lenient, giving Brock Turner only 6 months, of which he only served 3 when he could have had up to 14 years. This caused major controversy in California about judges’ personal opinions in court. 

Her choice to speak about her experiences received a great deal of support. There were protesters in California who advocated for her and her court case, which led to Judge Persky being removed from office in 2018.  On September 22nd, she had a 60-minute interview with CBS to talk about her experience and new book. In this video, a sneak peek of the interview is shown when Miller is reading her victim statement from court. Miller’s case and statement predated the start of the #MeToo movement but arguably affected the start of it. The #MeToo movement, is a social-media based movement where women and men come out with their experiences with sexual harassment to try and help themselves and others. 

Miller’s story also made people question rape laws in California. She inspired a bill to be passed in California law for mandatory minimum sentences for rapists. 

Rape is, unfortunately, a real issue all over the world. One in five women and one in seventy-one men will be raped at least once in their lives. One in four girls and one in six boys will be raped as children. This is very serious and if you have been a victim of sexual assault, there are places you can go or call. Some resources you can contact are the Rape, Abuse, and Incest Network (RAINN), NSVRC, and others near you. There are also ways to attempt to protect yourself from sexual assault, which you can find here

For more on Chanel Miller’s story, view her CBS interview and read her memoir, “Know My Name.” You can purchase it on Amazon today for $19.60