Trans model Munroe Bergdorf details horrific rape at hands of stalker
Transgender model Munroe Bergdorf is speaking out about the horrific rape she endured at the hands of a stalker, describing it as the “lowest moment” of her life.
The trans trailblazer, 35, appeared on British chat show “Loose Women” on Wednesday, where she talked candidly about the incident, which occurred at the beginning of her transition about a decade ago.
“I was locked in a room for two hours and raped,” Bergdorf stated. “I was stalked for six hours before. I met him on a night out and then he found where I lived and where I worked and raped me very badly.”
She further told the “Loose Women” presenters: “It just sent me on a really dark trajectory because there was no help and socially and culturally things have gotten worse and we are being painted as the people you should be looking out for when really we are all being affected with misogyny and violence against women.”
Bergdorf — who is also an outspoken activist — said she believed the rape occurred because men had been taught to “demonize” transgender women by society at large.
“I had this encounter because society demonizes our bodies so much to the point where men who find us attractive are being fed that it is so wrong that they do it in secret and often enact sexual violence on us,” she stated.
The British star didn’t disclose whether she reported the man to the police or whether he has been charged in relation to the assault.
According to the UCLA School of Law, trans people are over four times more likely than their cisgender counterparts to experience “violent victimization, including rape, sexual assault, and aggravated or simple assault.”
The Human Right Commission reports that at least 34 transgender and gender non-conforming people were killed in the US in 2022 alone, in what they described as “an epidemic of violence.”
“Black and brown trans people face significantly higher rates of harassment, bias and physical violence,” HRC’s Jay Brown stated. “In 2022, we saw anti-transgender lawmakers passing a record number of discriminatory bills, including bans of lifesaving, medically necessary gender-affirming healthcare. These attacks fuel more stigma against transgender and non-binary people, especially aimed at the youngest among us.”
Bergdorf’s “Loose Women” interview came ahead of the release of her autobiography “Transitional,” later this month.
In a separate sit-down with The Guardian last week, the model also spoke about the rape, saying it crushed her self-esteem.
“When you look at someone and you know they want to kill you, and they don’t see you as human enough to respect you when you say ‘No, you don’t want to have sex with them’, and [they] rape you anyway, that just kills a part of you,” she declared.
“I don’t know how I can unsee that. I still struggle to think of that period because I lost all hope. After that, I started hating myself a lot and entered abusive relationships because I didn’t think I deserved anymore.”
Bergdorf was born in Essex, England and attended an all-boys’ school, where she described herself as “very effeminate.”
The beauty began her transition at the age of 24 and soon became an in-demand model.
She made headlines in August 2017, when she was hired as the first trans model to front a campaign for L’Oreal UK. However, she was soon fired after old comments she wrote on Facebook claiming white people were all guilty of “racial violence” resurfaced online.
Bergdorf’s career survived the controversy, with the star later rejoining the brand, sitting on its UK diversity and inclusion advisory board in the UK.
