Speaking Out Why I Stand

For over a year, Rachel Carter, a United States Army and Wisconsin National Guard veteran and military sexual trauma (MST) survivor, collected stories and poems from other survivors and their loved ones to create a theater project called Speaking Out: Why I Stand. The idea behind this project was to help the public understand the epidemic of military sexual trauma in our armed forces, how it affects communities on a local level, to raise awareness to the long-term effects of sexual trauma, and to inspire action and change. The first performances of Speaking Out: Why I Stand were held on April 24th and April 25th, 2014 at the Muse Theatre in La Crosse, Wisconsin.