In September 2019, 27-year-old Chanel Miller told the world that she was Emily Doe, the young woman who was sexually assaulted by Stanford University student Brock Turner. Her case rocked the nation in 2016 and started necessary conversations about assault on college campuses. Shortly after Miller came forward, she released her memoir, Know My Name, sharing even more of her story. Miller has become a beacon of hope for sexual assault survivors everywhere, and—after being honored in 2016 as Emily Doe—she was recognized in person at Glamour's annual Women of the Year Awards.
“There’s a leader here tonight who changed the way our society sees assaults against women on college campuses,” Glamour editor in chief Samantha Barry said before Miller joined her on stage. “She told the story of her rape at Stanford with a courtroom impact statement that vibrated around the globe. She also shared her story anonymously in the pages of Glamour. Back then she was known as Emily Doe, and she became a real-life hero to assault survivors and justice seekers everywhere.”
Barry continued, “We honored Emily as a Glamour Woman of the Year in 2016, but she couldn’t collect her award herself. To protect her privacy she had a representative accept on her behalf, reading a note she had written, reminding us that our stories are our power. What we didn’t know then was that Emily was actually in the room that night, sitting silently in the back, listening to every word. In September this year, she finally felt safe enough to bravely and publicly share her identity. Now everyone knows her name: Chanel Miller.”
In lieu of a speech, Miller recited a poem she had written called “I Don't Give A Damn.” Read it, below:
I don’t give a damn / What you were wearing / I don’t give a damn how much you drank / I don’t give a damn / If you danced with him earlier in the evening / If you texted him first / Or were the one to go back to his place. / People may continue to come up with reasons “why it happened” / But the truth is, I don’t give a damn.
But I do / give a damn / How you’re doing / I give a damn about you being okay / I give a damn if you’re being blamed for the hurt you were handed / If you're being made to believe you’re deserving of pain.
The only reason I am standing here / Is because people gave a damn about my well-being / Even when I did not. / They reminded me that I carry light / and I deserve to be loved / Even when I forgot.
They gave a damn. / That’s why I am who I am today.
So here’s the takeaway. / When we step up for survivors / when we stop sealing them off in shame / When we quit interrogating them with stupid questions
Look what happens.
Books are written, laws are changed, / We remember we were born to create / To not only survive, but look hot and celebrate.
Tonight you must come away knowing / That I will always, always give a damn about you / The way you gave a damn about me.
Find out more about Glamour's 2019 Women of the Year here.
