Model Munroe Bergdorf has recounted a horrific attack in which she was ‘locked up in a room for two hours’ and brutally raped by a man who stalked her after a night out.
The transgender activist, 35, appeared on British chat show ‘Loose Women‘ on Wednesday, where she talked candidly about the incident, which occurred at the beginning of her transition about a decade ago.
She described the terrifying assault by a man she met on a night out and who stalked her, finding out where she lived and worked.
She also said she believes the ‘demonisation’ of transgender bodies ultimately led to her attacker carrying out sexual violence.
Panelist Bryan asked what her lowest moment was during those years of ‘coming out’ and feeling ‘ostracised’.
She replied: ‘There was a really difficult time in the book, I was sexually assaulted right at the beginning of my transition.
‘I had this encounter because society demonises our bodies so much to the point where men who find us attractive are being fed it is so wrong that they do it in secret and often enact sexual violence on us.
‘I was locked in a room for two hours and raped, I was stalked for six hours before, I met him on a night out and then he found where I lived and where I worked and raped me very badly.
‘It just sent me on a really dark trajectory because there was no help and socially and culturally things have gotten worse and we are being painted as the people you should be looking out for when really we are all being affected with misogyny and violence against women.’
Speaking to The Guardian Munroe recently said: ‘When you look at someone and you know they want to kill you, and they don’t see you as human enough to respect you when you say ‘no, you don’t want to have sex with them’, and [they] rape you anyway, that just kills a part of you.’
‘I don’t know how I can unsee that. I still struggle to think of that period because I lost all hope. After that, I started hating myself a lot and entered abusive relationships because I didn’t think I deserved any more.’
She further told the ‘Loose Women’ presenters: ‘It just sent me on a really dark trajectory because there was no help and socially and culturally things have gotten worse and we are being painted as the people you should be looking out for when really we are all being affected with misogyny and violence against women.
The British star didn’t disclose whether she reported the man to the police or whether he has been charged in relation to the assault.
However, trans people are over four times more likely than their cisgender counterparts to experience ‘violent victimization, including rape, sexual assault, and aggravated or simple assault.’ per UCLA School of Law.
