BE PART OF THE SOLUTION.
Ms. Gosheff founded Living Lotus Project to raise awareness and empathy for girls and women suffering the effects of sexual assault and domestic violence; to end victim-blaming and shaming by putting the responsibility for the crime where it belongs -- on the perpetrator; and to engage individuals and communities at large to help end this worldwide epidemic.
*PHOENIX RISING is based on the original work LET THE PHOENIX RISE! by Laura Gosheff and Sheri Heller.
A Note from the Author:
Writing this play has changed me. 'I sing my truth.' 'I found my fire.' 'I color my world.' 'I am not alone.' As a woman who has survived rape and sexual assault, writing PHOENIX RISING has given me an exquisite opportunity to discover and reclaim many pieces of myself that I had rejected as shameful and unworthy. In the process of integrating and healing these disparate parts, I found my voice. Over the last eight years of writing this play, I have spoken with hundreds women who have endured emotional, physical, and sexual abuse. In hopes of circumventing the cultural default of being shamed and blamed for their own assault, they keep their secrets; they maintain their silence. I wrote PHOENIX RISING to give them voice.
As a woman, I can tell the stories of women with an expertise and authenticity that I would not have were I trying to tell the stories of men, but I am keenly aware that women are not the only victims of abuse, trauma, and sexual violence. A number of men have courageously shared their stories with me; each as heartbreaking and horrific as the stories I've heard from women; each with the common thread of betrayal, shame, and the lasting effects of trauma. I am also keenly aware that most men are not abusers and rapists. In fact, I'm counting on it, because this is not an either/or endeavor. We need to come together as a community, a nation, a world, to eradicate abuse and sexual violence, and the culture that enables and condones it.
I have faith that the humor and humanity of PHOENIX RISING will alter the way society sees and treats victims of gender violence; that it will catalyze discussion and motivate people to get involved in creating change through intervention and activism. In this hyper-aware climate, the time for change is now.