Leonard wrote about being sexually abused by an olympic trainer when he was a teenager.  After years of battling this secret alone, he has spoken out.  I am grateful for his courage and believe his openness will ultimately help others.  I think it is especially difficult for men and boys to confront abuse because of the stigma attached to the issue of same gender sexual abuse of boys.

Just as with female victims, male victims of sexual assault are not more prone to become offenders nor is there a reliable connection between sexual abuse and gender attraction/preferences. These are just two unsustainable mythologies bred in the utter absence of reliable data.  Too many victims never speak out for us to have any way of knowing what their private struggles are.  That is why I am so grateful for Sugar Ray and others who do speak out.

I also do believe that the silence and isolation caused by stigmatizing the victims of abuse ends up causing tremendous harm.  Sugar Ray has been courageous about discussing the emotional problems created first by the abuse and then by years of silence.

Help break the silence.

Thank you, Sugar Ray Leonard