In response to the publication of 2005 recordings of Donald Trump that documented him explicitly talking about grabbing women by their genitals and kissing them with no intention of receiving consent, the actress and poet Amber Tamblyn shared on Instagram about her sexual assault at the hands of an ex-boyfriend. Social media has been filled with the sobering stories from women detailing their experiences with sexual assault after the video of Trump was released in which he said “I grab women by the pussy,” while chatting with Billy Bush, and Tamblyn added her sexual assault story to the growing list when she posted on Instagram on Sunday.

Accompanied by a photo of Trump kissing beauty queen Olivia Culpo, the 33-year-old actress shared her personal story of her past abusive relationship, emphasizing how Trump’s flippant use of sexually violent language is triggering for many women.

She started the post with a shout out to the support of her husband, comedian David Cross: “I need to tell you a story. With the love and support of my husband, I’ve decided to share it publicly.” She continued, “A very long time ago I ended a long emotionally and physically abusive relationship with a man I had been with for some time. One night I was at a show with a couple girlfriends in Hollywood, listening to a DJ we all loved. I knew there was a chance my ex could show up, but I felt protected with my girls around me.”

As she went further into the details, Tamblyn shared exactly how accurately Trump’s words describe the moments of assault her and many other women have experienced, detailing how her ex-boyfriend grabbed her against her consent and attempted to carry her out of the club:

“He’s a big guy, taller than me. The minute he saw me, he picked me up with one hand by my hair and with his other hand, he grabbed me under my skirt by my vagina— my pussy?— and lifted me up off the floor, literally, and carried me, like something he owned, like a piece of trash, out of the club. His fingers were practically inside of me, his other hand wrapped tightly around my hair.”

Her description of a sadly all too familiar story of violence for women emphasized how extremely violent Trump’s language and attitudes towards women is. She wrote:

“That part of my body, which the current Presidential Nominee of the United States Donald Trump recently described as something he’d like to grab a woman by, was bruised from my ex-boyfriend’s violence for at least the next week.”

Luckily, considering the vulnerability and bravery required to post something so personal and traumatic, her post was mostly met with support. Hopefully this will potentially open the eyes of someone who previously underestimated the power of language; if not, it might remind a woman or girl somewhere that she is not alone.

I need to tell you a story. With the love and support of my husband, I've decided to share it publicly. A very long time ago I ended a long emotionally and physically abusive relationship with a man I had been with for some time. One night I was at a show with a couple girlfriends in Hollywood, listening to a DJ we all loved. I knew there was a chance my ex could show up, but I felt protected with my girls around me. Without going into all the of the details, I will tell you that my ex did show up, and came up to me in the crowd. He's a big guy, taller than me. The minute he saw me, he picked me up with one hand by my hair and with his other hand, he grabbed me under my skirt by my vagina— my pussy?— and lifted me up off the floor, literally, and carried me, like something he owned, like a piece of trash, out of the club. His fingers were practically inside of me, his other hand wrapped tightly around my hair. I screamed and kicked and cried. He carried me this way, suspended by his hands, all the way across the room, pushing past people until he got to the front door. My friends ran after him, trying to stop him. We got to the front door and I thank God his brothers were also there and intervened. In the scuffle he grabbed at my clothes, trying to hold onto me, screaming at me, and inadvertently ripped off my grandmother’s necklace, which I was wearing. The rest of this night is a blur I do not remember. How I got out to the car. How I got away from him that night. I never returned for my necklace either. That part of my body, which the current Presidential Nominee of the United States Donald Trump recently described as something he’d like to grab a woman by, was bruised from my ex-boyfriend's violence for at least the next week. I had a hard time wearing jeans. I couldn’t sleep without a pillow between my legs to create space. To this day I remember that moment. I remember the shame. I am afraid my mom will read this post. I'm even more afraid that my father could ever know this story. That it would break his heart. I couldn't take that. But you understand, don't you? I needed to tell a story. Enjoy the debates tonight.

A photo posted by Amber Tamblyn (@amberrosetamblyn) on

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