In an open letter to an unnamed former 11-year-old who spoke out against Jerry Sandusky, Perry calls him “courageous.” Above all, he makes sure the victim understands that he is not a victim, but a survivor, because Perry also suffered sexual abuse at a young age.
According to Newsweek, he writes, “I was a very poor young black boy in New Orleans, just a face without a name, swimming in a sea of poverty trying to survive. Forget about living, I was just trying to exist. I was enduring a lot of the same things that you’ve come forward and said happened to you, and it was awful. I felt so powerless.”
He went on to say, “So to think that you, when you were only 11-years-old, spoke up — you are my hero! I’m so proud of you. You have nothing to be ashamed of. I want you to know you didn’t do anything wrong. It’s not your fault. Please know that you were chosen by a monster. You didn’t choose him. You didn’t ask for it and, most of all, you didn’t deserve it. What a huge lesson that was for me to learn.”
Kudos to Perry for standing up against sexual abuse. He’s been a huge voice in the movement since he revealed his rocky past on Oprah.
Continue to pray for the Penn State victims.