I've read a lot of talk about what is freedom of speech and how people need to be more tolerant.

What I would like to know is, does anyone care that I was sexually abused and when I see these images they take me back to the feeling of being abused and humiliated by my abuser? Charlie, to be blunt, it makes me feel even worse to see these images when I am vulnerable, literally with my pants down.

I've spent hard-earned cash to get therapy and I've done a lot of forgiving. I do not blame other people, only my perpetrator. I do not hate men. I look at them as other living beings that I am sharing the planet with who can suffer similarly. Still, I continue to have flashbacks and I know that I'm not the only one who goes through the aftermath of being abused.

Charlie, have you ever been molested, raped, fondled, grouped, stalked or physically hurt against your wishes by someone more powerful than you? Has it ever happened to any of your loved ones? Since you have not chosen to address the issue of these images -- not as pornography (that is not the problem) but as depictions of women being humiliated and/or abused -- , I assume that you feel like the humiliation of people is okay. If that is the case, why aren't there any cartoons of men being humiliated posted in your men's bathroom? Why aren't there depictions of you bending over to pick up the soap you dropped in an Army shower room? Or a "fun" picture of a scantily-dressed young man bent over in front of a priest? Why aren't those male-oriented "suggestive" images part of your humorous repretoire?

You might think that I'm biased because I have been abused, but I've seen way too much to believe that it is just coincidence or I've got some kind of bad luck.

Someone wrote that we need to get some perspective. Here's mine. A partial list of victims of abuse that I've known in my life.

1. Sexually Molested. Best friend, age eight years old, by an older (adult) relative of a neighbor. Prosecuted after he went on to molest two other girls.

2. Sexually abused as a child and raped as a teen. Close relative. This happened in the "good old days", just about when these postcards were made. Offender never prosecuted. No help for the victim.

3. Raped and physically abused by husband. Close relative. He moved her out to the country, practically kept her under lock and key. She suffered several broken bones and contracted stds from him. Never prosecuted.

3. Raped. Best Friend, age 16. Violently (premeditated) raped by the CAPTAIN of the baseball team. Recieved little help and support. He was not only never prosecuted, he remained the captain of the baseball team.

4. Sexually molested and physically abused. Best friend. Sexually abused by her cousin starting at age 8 for several years. No support from anyone dealing with this. Married at early age to escape. Husband was physically abusive. No one prosecuted. Abuser actually tried to contact and harass her again as an adult.

5. Violent physical assult and rape. Neighbor. I had to intervene on more than one occasion. Abuser used her position as a destitute immigrant with an expired green card to keep her with him.

6. Rape and fatal stabbing. Another neighbor. An incredibly loving and optimistic physically disabled woman was preyed upon, raped and then stabbed to death.

7. Sexually abused. Friend. Male who was molested as a child. Perpetrator never prosecuted.

8. Sexually abused. Friend. Molested as a child. Still dealing with the aftermath of the abuse.

9. Sexually molested by her adoptive father for years. Perpetrator never brought to justice.

10. Sexually abused through voyeurism. Friend. Own father secretly watched victim. Never persecuted.

11. Sexually abused by a grandfather for years. Friend. Didn't get any family support. Though she had near-genius abilities in mathematics and music, she is now serving in the military because that is the only job that would accept her because she is so messed up.

12. Spousal abuse. After trying for years to get out of her abusive relationship, she waited until the husband went out of town for a day and had to move out all of her stuff on a moment's notice. Perpetrator never prosecuted.

13. Violent sexual assault. Kidnapped and sexually molested, friend's brother. The perpretrator was never found, but recent evidence points to former school beat cop who was recently convicted of (you guessed it) molesting boys from the school.

14. Sexually abused. Boy (about age 10) exposed to nudity and forced to fondle a female babysitter. Went on to have many sexual partners at a young age and fathered a child at the age of 14. Perpetrator never prosecuted.

I could keep going on and on. When these things happen at first, you are totally shocked and outraged. After a while, you begin to realize that these aren't just some isolated incidents. They are happening all over and to a lot of people.

All of these incidents happened to middle to upper level income families. Many were from educated families. All of them happened in "safe" communites or the "good" part of a town. Of all of the people that these things happened to, most would be considered very good looking by most people. (It seems almost like they were hunted like animals.) I would also add that people rarely share this stuff with others. I've only shared my abuse with a handful of people, primarily because it's like experiencing the hurt all over again when someone treats you like you're being a big baby or that you should shut up about it when it is actually the most painful thing that has ever happened to you. That is the hardest. I actually don't talk about it to other people for that reason.

After reading some of the cruel things people have said about women here I felt that I needed to write something to help people understand that, even though they might have never experienced abuse, it is very, very real and prevalent.

If you truly care about other people but have a hard time believing that abuse is real, please ask a close female friend if they know anything about being abused. What they have to say might really open your eyes... you may even learn how your wife, mother, sister, etc. have been suffering in silence for years. Your listening and support might help them heal and perhaps even reclaim the wonderful enjoyment of sexuality that someone once tried to steal from them.