Rhett

Age: 42

Age when first abused: 12

"The purpose of me telling my story is that I believe that we teach what we accept. As long as nobody is talking about child sexual abuse, particularly as it relates to men, then we are sending out a message that it's okay or that it shouldn't be spoken of.

I know that because of the statistics: Roughly one in six boys are abused, and that's based upon reported [cases]. ... The thought of another man that's suffering not knowing what direction, not knowing what to do or where to go, it yanks at my heart. I explain to people all the time: I grew up pretty much on the set of Leave It to Beaver. My mom and dad were there. I had an active father who was a role model. It still happened to me. If somebody thinks that it can't happen to their child because they're doing this or they're doing that, it can happen."