Amber Tamblyn Opens Up About Sexual Assault on Instagram

Leaked tapes of Donald Trump were released on Friday, and while many are offended by him hitting on a married woman, the real problem here is Trump bragging about sexual violence. Because make no mistake, grabbing women by the "pussy" is 100 percent assault.

"When you're a star, they let you do it," Trump says during the circa 2005 leaked conversation with Billy Bush. "You can do anything...grab 'em by the pussy."

The thing is, this isn't just "locker room" talk. Unwanted vaginal "grabbing" is a real thing that happens to real women, including Amber Tamblyn. The actress opened up about her experience with sexual assault in a lengthy Instagram post, explaining that she was at a party when her ex-boyfriend came up to her, grabbed her hair, grabbed her genitals, and carried her out of a show in front of her friends. She was bruised for an entire week after.

"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," Tamblyn writes in the below post. "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."

View this post on Instagram

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 post shared by Amber Tamblyn (@amberrosetamblyn) on Oct 9, 2016 at 8:14am PDT

Donald Trump told Anderson Cooper that he's never actually assaulted a woman, but his comments lend disturbing credence to the many men who do treat women's bodies in this appalling way.

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