I was an active, worthy, temple recommend carrying young adult woman of 19. I met a returned missionary at a dance club, gave him my number, then met him for lunch. We really hit it off. I liked him a lot. We had agreed to meet again, this time at his house to watch a movie. At his house he proceeded to forcefully rape me, despite my best efforts to tell him no and fight him off.
Defeated and devastated I turned to my bishop. I told him I had had sex, but that I was raped. I had hoped he would help me call the police or get legal help. However, he responded, “How could you let that happen?”
I was dumbfounded. My bishop was blaming me for being raped.
He proceeded to talk of things I could do to start the repentance process, as if I had done something wrong that I needed to fix in the eyes of God. I don’t honestly remember what he said exactly because I was so stunned and shut down by his response. I was so hurt that this man wouldn’t protect me or use his discernment to know that I truly was a victim.
I left the church for years and years after that. I returned for a period of time, but never fully trusted church leadership after that.