CAMPAIGN BACKGROUND:

Since publishing “Himpathy for the Devil: The Climbers Who Protected Charlie Barrett,” I’ve received an overwhelming number of messages from survivors, related not only to Barrett’s violence, but also to others in the outdoor industry.

I’m devastated and enraged by the way survivors in Barrett’s case have been treated. Before and during the trial, many survivors were harassed and threatened for speaking up. Even now, after Barrett received a life sentence, survivors are still not believed. Many prominent people in our climbing “community” discredit them and remain in contact with, and supportive of, Barrett.

I recently received a cease and desist from Jackie Hueftle and Ian Powell of Kilter for speaking up about their support of Barrett.

As a survivor myself, the exposé Annette McGivney wrote about Barrett’s case was damning and ultimately revealed that rape culture is alive and well in the climbing world.

While this isn’t surprising, given that outdoor recreation rests on a bedrock of rape culture, I’m disgusted that more folks in positions of power and privilege (barring survivors and those with legitimate safety concerns) haven’t used their platforms to speak out directly, particularly men in the climbing world.

This t-shirt campaign aims to raise money for the survivors of Barrett’s case. 50% of funds will go directly to survivors. I’m in contact with a few, but if you are a survivor and in need of funds, please reach out to me at heyterracollective@gmail.com I want to redistribute as much money as I can to survivors.

Free From, a national survivor-led organization on a mission to build a world free from gender-based violence, states, “Gender-based violence is an economic problem. Together, we can end it. It results from an imbalance of power, deeply rooted in society, and is a structural economic issue that intersects with and reinforces other systems of oppression.”

Free From found that gender-based violence costs $104k over the lifetime of a female survivor. According to Free From’s website, “survivors report having only an average of $10 in savings and less than $300 that they alone can access.”

Money is the most important resource for survivors trying to escape and get to safety. This was true for me when I needed to escape intimate partner violence (IPV) at 22 years old. After securing a job and moving to so-called Moab, Utah, I found relief and safety. Although the violent event happened only once for me, survivors often can’t escape, and it happens more than once. As a cis, white woman from an upper-middle-class background with a college degree and a car, I was able to save money while still living with my abuser.

I had to stay with him for three or four months until I could move for the job. During that time, I kept busy, worked three jobs, and did everything I could to stay out of the house because I was afraid something would happen again. After I was settled in another state, I still experienced PTSD. I had panic attacks while running on trails, fearing my abuser would find me and hurt me. I did not have the means to access therapy. I didn’t even know what I had experienced was IPV until I did research at the library months after I escaped.

Fourteen years later, I understand the devastating, life-altering toll IPV and GBV can take, and I experienced only a fraction of what survivors of Barrett have endured and still endure. That’s why it’s so crucial to raise money for survivors. I hope you’ll join me in raising awareness, raising money, and standing in solidarity with survivors everywhere.