Mary Gribbin holds a sign she originally made for Donald Trump’s first term in office as she and others gather for the International Women's Day - Unite and Resist event at Union Square in San Francisco on Saturday, March 8, 2025.

Her note was simple and direct.

After countless hours of sharing with me every detail about her sexual assault and her frustration in waiting for justice, she wrote that going public with her story was no longer an option.

The country has become too unsafe to be that bold. It's too risky to speak up as women's voices are being stifled in a way she has not seen in her lifetime.

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HOUSTON HISTORY: The Riverside Terrace segregation story I heard as a child was missing a key chapter

The #MeToo movement, which gave survivors of sexual assault and abuse a platform to be heard nationwide and brought many abusers to justice, is being overshadowed by the rise of men in power, including several men in President Donald Trump's inner circle, who have been publicly accused of sexual misconduct or abuse. Two members of Trump's cabinet have denied wrongdoing in the face of such accusations.

At the same time, women's rights are being stripped away at the state and national levels, in the workplace and in their private lives.........

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