Victims of sexual abuse aired their “dirty laundry” Tuesday for all to see on campus, raising awareness of the silent issue.

T-shirts included pictures – often violent – and some only had one word, such as “silence” or “break,” but most told a revealing story of taboo.

“I was raped at ISU,” or “When I was 7 my father was my first sex partner. It was our ‘special game,'” were just a few of the shirts displayed. One of the shirts was even made Tuesday.

The T-shirts were part of the Clothesline Project, one of several events in Sexual Assault Awareness Month. Groups working to organize the events include the Women’s Center, the Story County Sexual Assault Response Team and the Ames Assault Care Center Extending Shelter and Support.

Tara Fisher, senior in psychology and ACCESS volunteer, said the T-shirts were all made by local survivors.

“It’s important to see it does happen,” she said. “These are shirts from Iowa State students or Ames community members.”

The Clothesline Project is a national event that started in Massachusetts in 1990. In some areas, the T-shirts are color-coded to represent what type of abuse the survivor experienced, but not necessarily at Iowa State.

“Most of the survivors bring in their own shirt,” Fisher said. “We even have one that is the actual shirt the survivor was wearing when they were assaulted.”

Students stopped by on their way to class, quietly looking over the shirts. Katherine Lundberg, sophomore in political science, said she stopped “because it’s a huge deal – it’s impacting people across the nation.”

Fisher said the shirts help survivors share their stories in an anonymous way.

“If someone’s willing to put their story on a shirt, the least you can do is read it,” she said.

Kacia Kriener, senior in child, adult and family services and ACCESS volunteer, said there are other opportunities for people to get involved and informed throughout April.

“Look for tables set up on campus throughout the month,” Kriener said. “We’ll have information, and bracelets and T-shirts to buy.”

Proceeds will go to ACCESS and its efforts to help survivors of abuse.