Tim Barrus: Rape in a Hospital
I was asked to testify before a senate committee dealing with HIV health issues and doctors. I took a walk. I do not trust homo sapiens sapiens one little bit. I’m autistic. There is nothing you can do to me that would bend me toward whatever it is you want. I will not comply. I walk among you, but I am not like you. I do not feel what you feel. I do not see what you see. I do not value what you value. My existence is not your existence. The first time I was raped in a hospital, I was a kid. I didn’t know what they were doing. The second time I was raped in a hospital a few weeks ago. Any printed narrative related to rape does not discuss hospitals or the medical community because they are the people who help you. Not always. The reason disabled people are raped is because we appear as victims. Shooting fish in a barrel. The helpers and the rapists work together. Just because you are wearing white is irrelevant. Things have changed for rape victims. There is no hiding place. Doctors raped me during the inevitable examination. I was raped multiple times. “Come look at this.” Doctors will not believe you. I walked. Just like the gig with senate politicians. Do you really think they care. Apathy is us. I am now a cardiology patient. Pacemaker. Afib. Heart failure. Blood clots in both lungs. My heart is upside down. Thirty pills a day. I am a writer. I do not have health insurance. I am bankrupt and now live in a small cabin. Doctors are not the saviors they pretend to be.