Clinton Albaugh

34; Vegan Years 6; Hometown Spokane, WA

 

 

 

“In 2003, I was a cadet at the Academy and there was a scandal, with numerous cadets accusing others of sexual assault and rape. I was kind of dumbfounded that people treated other people like that. You could say I was really sheltered growing up, or privileged--both of those are accurate. That was my introduction to this not so nice side of society. Fast-forward several years through Air Force training and this is still a problem. So, I finally found a way that I could give back. In 2005, the Air Force stood up our first sexual assault prevention and response program. [And ] in 2009, I went through training to become what they call a volunteer victim advocate.

 

I grew up in a very stable home. I love my parents to death, but it was rural. We didn't have that much diversity there. Each of these life experiences kind of pulls curtain back and exposes more and more pieces of humanity or social interaction or different cultures. Since doing this work I have gained a lens, viewing my experience and things that happen around me through a lens of feminism, just trying and seeing how it impacts more than just me, how it impacts the people around me. It definitely affects the way I view the world."

 

Photo by Margaret Albaugh