Stanford Rape Survivor in Brock Turner Case Reveals Her Identity in New Memoir
By Jin Hyun
Chanel Miller, formerly known as “Emily Doe” has bravely revealed her true identity to the world ahead of the release of her new memoir “Know My Name” in which she takes back the narrative of the case of People v. Turner.
Miller will retell her stories of trauma and recovery, and reclaim her identity since the traumatic sexual assault and trial that had reduced her name to a mere ten syllables — “unconscious intoxicated woman.”
The San Francisco-based artist and writer gave voice to millions of sexual violence survivors and forever transformed the way sexual assault cases are discussed and sentenced.
After Brock Turner, now a household name that has become synonymous with White male privilege and rape culture, walked away from his sentencing with a mere six months behind bars even after being found guilty of three counts of felony sexual assault — of which he only served three months — then-California Governor Jerry Brown signed a bill that imposed mandatory minimum sentences for sexual assault cases.
Following this decision, the judge who gave this sentencing was recalled from the bench for his leniency towards sexual offenders and bias towards wealthy White defendants.
While she was left disappointed with Turner’s “gentle” sentencing and angry over his continuous denial of his actions even after conviction, Miller’s powerful statement describing her anguish was posted on BuzzFeed News, read on the floor of Congress by 18 different members and made a global impact.
She wrote in her letter, “… to girls everywhere, I am with you. On nights when you feel alone, I am with you. When people doubt you or dismiss you, I am with you. I fought every day for you. So never stop fighting, I believe you.”
CBS’ “60 Seconds” recently released a short clip of Miller reading this impact statement and announced that they will be airing her first public interview on September 22.
Miller has been working on her book since 2017 with Viking Press and has since expanded the topic of her book to cover the #MeToo movement that came after Turner’s sentencing.
Viking’s editor-in-chief Andrea Schulz described the book to the New York Times as “one of the most important books that [she has] ever published.” She further explained that the cover art was inspired by the Japanese art of “kintsugi” in which gold powder and lacquer are used to mend broken pottery pieces, creating a beautiful, new object from broken pieces — representing Miller’s own recovery and trauma.
“Know My Name” is set to come out on September 24.
Featured Image via Penguin Random House / Chanel Miller (Left), YouTube / @60 Minutes (Right)
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