Katie Thurston is opening up about her experience as a “victim of rape.”
The Bachelorette alum, 33, told her Instagram followers on Friday, June 28, that was raped at an unspecified point in her life — and now wants to share resources that “saved my life” to help other sexual assault victims.
In her post, Thurston detailed her experience in the aftermath of the sexual assault, which included getting a rape kit done and getting support from a Sexual Assault Response Team (SART).
Although she didn’t include any details about the incident, Thurston previously revealed in a Bachelorette episode in 2021 that she had been “involved in a situation where there wasn’t consent” 10 years prior on New Year’s Eve. (It’s unclear whether that incident is related to this one.)
She added at the time: “I just want you guys to know that I’ve come a long way in who I was 10 years ago and how important consent is, how important communication is and how important it is to not guilt trip somebody for not having enough sex with them, guilt trip them for not having sex with them in general.”
Thurston captioned Friday’s post with, “I am loved. I am safe. I am supported. Resources linked in bio. ?.”
The Instagram slides included the steps she took after the incident.
“My pain has purpose, my purpose has power, I want to focus on the positive,” the first slide began.
“The justice system continues to let down victims every day. I refuse to feel defeated in the strength it took to be an advocate for myself. I hope my experience will help those feel the strength and support they need,” Thurston continued. “While I’m not ready to share my story, I want to share the valuable resources that saved my life.”
“I called 911 to report my rape. They sent an officer to take my statement and then drove me to a special medical center to perform a SART exam,” the next slide read. Her SART included a nurse and an advocate.
“I felt like a small lost child who was vulnerable and scared. They thoroughly explained the process, asking for consent along the way, and allowing me to decline or change my mind at any time,” she wrote.
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“My blood was drawn to check for STDs, drugs, and blood alcohol concentration. I was given Plan B, Rocephin (a shot for bacterial infections), Azithromycin (to treat possible STIs), and Truvada and nPEP for a month (to treat possible HIV),” Thurston said in the next slide, letting her followers know that this can be done for anyone at no cost in San Diego, even without health insurance.
She said she was given digital tools to help her track the results of her medical examinations.
“My kit would take four months to complete its cycle. Nothing could move until this was done, so the time between allowed me to seek mental health support,” she wrote.
Thurston said that she went to a therapist who specialized in sexual assault “every week for three months, at no cost to me” and also had an advocate she could call or text at any time if she had questions about the process.
In one of the final slides about the process, she told her followers about the California Victim Compensation Board, which helps sexual assault and rape survivors recover financially. Thurston also shared that the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network (RAINN) has resources.
The TV personality thanked her followers for helping her raise over $9,000 for RAINN in December 2023 (she and RAINN each matched $3,200 in follower donations, totaling $9,600).
In her social media post, Thurston also recommended the book Know My Name by Chanel Miller. “While I could only consume it in small doses at a time before nausea would hit, I also felt validation each and every chapter,” another slide read, adding that it should be a mandatory read for teenagers.
Thurston said the book helped her communicate better with police officers and ask them better questions.
Andrew Eccles/ABC
A particularly vulnerable slide read: “I did everything I should have done as a victim of rape. ‘Here are my texts, my calls, my photos, my videos, names, witnesses, locations, social media, time stamps, surveillance footage, DNA, my body.’ ”
“The warning ‘a guilty verdict is hard in criminal court’ echoed throughout & the months, like an annoying parrot you were forced to keep. And as much as l heard it, I still wasn’t ready to be stopped. And yet, without warning, I was,” the slide concluded.
Although Thurston didn’t reveal the roadblock that stopped her from reporting her rape, she said in the penultimate slide that it is “not a loss to me” because she’s safe, loved and supported.
Thurston called the legal system “broken” and wrote, “Change happens in failure. And the justice system failed me. And continues to fail thousands every single day. But do not give up.”
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In her final slide about her experience, she reminded her followers that they are their own best advocates and are valued and strong.
“I believe in you,” the series of slides concluded.
If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, please contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673) or go to rainn.org.
