Blow the Whistle

Blow the Whistle.

Yes. I said it.

Blow the Whistle.

But let me be clear about what I mean. I am not talking about public shaming, naming names, social media retaliation or legal reporting platforms. I am talking about freedom.

According to Merriam-Webster, a whistleblower is one who reveals something covert or who informs against another. My hope is that individuals who have been victimized by inappropriate behavior, sexual abuse, misconduct, coercion, manipulation, or control would finally free themselves. Let it go. It’s your story — tell it. Not to destroy someone else, but to release yourself. Many parts of my story are published in my memoir; A Queen Was Born Again. Each time I repeated those stories, it became easier. Not because the events were small or because the pain disappeared. But because the silence no longer controlled me. The shame no longer owned me, and the secrecy no longer defined me.

Although this platform is designed for women, men are victimized also. My continued concern is that both predators and survivors understand something very clearly: this behavior is not acceptable. No one should be subjected to sexual comments disguised as jokes, coercion disguised as culture, or misconduct minimized with statements like “she just likes you,” “that’s what men do,” or “that’s the culture.” Whether those phrases are common or not does not make the behavior acceptable. If we see something, we should say something. If we experience something, we should not carry it alone.

Blowing the whistle in this space means choosing not to internalize what harmed you. It means choosing not to protect systems that failed you. It means standing up for yourself, not because you are weak, but because you are strong enough to love yourself. It does not make you soft or less of a soldier. You are not dramatic. It means you are choosing wholeness.

According to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Military Sexual Trauma (MST) can include experiences such as:

• Being pressured or coerced to have sex

• Being physically forced to have sex

• Being touched in a sexual way that made you uncomfortable

• Sexual contact without consent, including when asleep or intoxicated

• Comments about your body or sexual activities that felt threatening

• Sexual advances that felt threatening

These experiences matter. They count. They are real.

The U.S. Department of Justice defines sexual assault as any nonconsensual sexual act prohibited by law, including situations where the victim lacks the capacity to consent. Most workplace and nonprofit policies define sexual harassment as unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, or verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature that creates a hostile or uncomfortable environment. Under many policies, even a single explicit comment can qualify. It does not have to be repeated.

As Paige Meltzer of Wake Forest University noted, the “Me Too” movement has united men and women in the uphill battle against sexual assault and in changing societal mentalities. Culture shifts when courage rises.

And so, we will be blowing the whistle. Through live conversations on YouTube, Facebook, and other platforms, women will have the opportunity to share their stories — not to report anyone, not to accuse, not to relive trauma in detail; but to free themselves. To speak what was silenced. To release what was carried. To model healing.

This series is about reclaiming voice. It is about breaking secrecy. It is about creating spaces where women — especially women veterans — feel safe enough to say, “That happened to me, and I am still whole.” If you are not safe, you cannot be whole. If you do not feel safe, you cannot heal. If you do not feel heard, you cannot grow.

Blowing the whistle here is not about revenge. It is about restoration. It is about accountability in culture. It is about dignity. So yes. We will be blowing the whistle. For ourselves. For the women still silent. For the culture we are building — not the one we are tolerating.

— Nekohl Johnson

Be Whole with Nekohl