Los Angeles Times

By detailing the horrific events of her gang rape, one woman fights to end sexual violence on college campuses

LOS ANGELES - The buzz of the lights. That is all you can hear in this big gymnasium, the buzz of the lights overhead and the sound of Brenda Tracy's voice, which remains steady even as she begins to cry.

Her gaze shifts to the floor, if only for a moment. Standing alone on an empty basketball court, she straightens up and looks at the hundreds of people watching from the stands.

Dressed in a black T-shirt and jeans, Tracy resumes telling them about the night so long ago when she stopped by a friend's apartment. She recalls the football players who were there, how they persuaded her to have a drink, how she passed out a short time later.

"The first time I regained consciousness, I became immediately aware I was laying on my back on the floor," she says. "I was naked and I couldn't move my arms or legs."

The man on her left tried to force her to have oral sex. So did the man on her right.

"So I turned from them and looked up and the third man was raping me," she says. "And I remember feeling like I was trying to say or yell 'Stop.'"

Twenty years later, this is what the 45-year-old mother of two does, traveling the country to stand before strangers and share her most awful memory. She has appeared before 110,000 fans at Michigan's football stadium and 15 or so players on a basketball team. This crusade, which started years before the #MeToo movement, takes her any place where people will listen.

On this night, at

You’re reading a preview, subscribe to read more.

More from Los Angeles Times

Los Angeles Times3 min read
For Third Year In A Row, Kings’ Season Ended By Edmonton
EDMONTON, Canada — The Kings’ season expired Wednesday at 10:52 p.m. Mountain Time. Cause of death was the Edmonton Oilers. Again. For the Kings, these Oilers have become serial killers, snuffing out their NHL playoffs hopes in the first round in eac
Los Angeles Times1 min read
Dan Schneider Suing 'Quiet On Set' Producers For Defamation: 'I Sadly Have No Choice'
LOS ANGELES — Dan Schneider, the Nickelodeon producer behind hit shows "Drake & Josh" and "iCarly," is taking legal action against the teams behind the popular "Quiet on Set" docuseries. Schneider announced in a statement shared with The Times on Wed
Los Angeles Times3 min readAmerican Government
Robin Abcarian: The Women Of Trump's GOP Try To Answer The Question, Who's The Most Macho?
Slaughtering wolves from helicopters? Castrating hogs? Shooting up Priuses with assault weapons? Murdering misbehaving puppies? Is this what it takes for a Republican woman to be a credible candidate for higher office? Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin

Related Books & Audiobooks