Brian Toale and Asher Lovy have a few things in common: they were both molested as children by people they should have been able to trust, they both suffered alone and in silence for years, and they both survived and turned that pain into advocacy for the countless other victims of child sexual abuse. Brian was abused by a lay instructor at his prestigious Catholic High School, Chaminade. He’ll talk about, not just the experience, but the manipulation, the grooming and the threats that kept him silent then, and the fear that made him maintain that silence for more than 40 years. Asher Lovy’s story is different. He was abused, physically, psychologically, sexually and emotionally by his own mother. They were part of the Ultra-Orthodox Jewish Community, an isolated community that denies the existence of widespread abuse (which Asher says is ongoing) and punishes victims and survivors who dare to speak out. He will also speak about his escape, which came when a group of friends he met in an online support group raised $8,000 so that he could be free. They’ll both talk about what the Child Victim’s Act means to them and the countless survivors who are still too afraid, or ashamed, to come forward.