Broadway Actor Antuan Raimone Speaks About His Survivor Journey
By Vincent DiFonzo, Staff Writer
Broadway Actor Antuan Raimone spoke to students in the CUB Ballroom on Monday, Oct. 24, 2022 about his experiences as a survivor of sexual abuse (Photo Will Oehler/The Gettysburgian).
On Monday, Antuan Magic Raimone, an actor with roles in critically acclaimed musicals such as “Hamilton” and “In the Heights,” visited Gettysburg College to give his lecture entitled “Soldier of Love: My Survivor Journey.”
Raimone is an author, actor, speaker, advocate, performer, and survivor of sexual abuse. Along with roles in award-winning musicals, he has spoken at TEDx events, published an autobiography, and performed in theaters across the globe.
The event began with a brief introduction by the Title IX office highlighting Raimone’s career and mental health struggles along with a brief warning about potentially triggering content featured in the talk. The office also acknowledged that the event was made possible by a Pennsylvania state fund for Title IX events.
Next, Raimone took the stage and began by leading the crowd in a breathing exercise, acknowledging the emotional weight of the subject.
“Tonight, I am going to share with you some of what I am learning as I continue to heal,” he said before beginning his story.
When Raimone was eight years old, he was sexually abused by two of his older cousins. At such a young age, this incident made Raimone feel like he could no longer trust his male family members. Additionally, he shared how the incident made him feel weak as if he could not defend himself.
Raimone discussed how he felt violated by his own family members, saying, “so often, it is people that you know that hurt you.”
Raimone continued sharing his story, jumping to when he was entering high school at the age of fourteen. He shared that because of the trauma he experienced at the age of eight, he took up Tae Kwon Do, gaining a black belt in just two years. The sport made him feel “strong and courageous.”
However, Raimone soon faced another traumatic incident. A repairman, who was often doing housework in Raimone’s childhood home, offered Raimone an adult video. Being a teenager, Raimone accepted.
Soon, the man escalated to sexually abusing Raimone. As Raimone was fourteen at the time, this qualified as statutory rape.
Raimone shared that he was disgusted by the man and what he had done to him. However, due to fear of punishment, he remained silent and the abuse continued.
“He had systematically found my insecurities to make me feel safe with him, so these things did not raise red flags in me,” stated Raimone.
After months of abuse, Raimone’s mother discovered what was happening and promptly removed the man from her son’s life. The abuse was over, but Raimone had to live with the experience.
Raimone turned to theater, dancing, and singing to escape these traumatic experiences, saying that he “just felt theater in my guts” and that on stage, he felt “huge, in charge, and powerful.”
Throughout high school and college, Raimone explored his passion for theater. But his experiences with childhood sexual abuse still affected him.
As he began to explore his sexuality in his 20s through various relationships, Raimone found himself with problems trusting his partners and trouble finding love for himself.
“I wasn’t really trusting of anyone, and I didn’t know why,” he said.
Almost 20 years after the abuse ended, Raimone entered into a relationship with a man that truly cared about him. However, the relationship ended due to his patterns of distrust and fear of being vulnerable in front of others.
After a six-month tour of “In the Heights,” two of Raimone’s closest friends shared their own experiences with childhood sexual abuse with him. They also shared the name of an organization that would change Raimone’s life–the Crime Victims Treatment Center in New York.
Raimone spent nine months in therapy with the organization and emphasized how important this was for his mental health.
“He set me up with a therapist, and that is when my life changed,” he said.
Before therapy, Raimone often blamed himself for the abuse, saying, “I froze because I knew that was the safest thing to do at the time.”
The College Union Building Ballroom hosted Broadway Actor Antuan Raimone on Monday, Oct. 24, 2022 (Photo Will Oehler/The Gettysburgian).
Through therapy, Raimone learned how to love himself. Instead of blaming himself for the abuse, he began to look back and thank his younger self for doing his best to protect them.
One day, his therapist asked Raimone what he would say to his younger self. Raimone responded, “thank you for protecting us to the best of your ability.”
Learning how to love himself changed everything for Raimone.
“It unlocked so much for me,” he stated.
Today, Raimone is in a loving relationship with his boyfriend of four years. His trauma is not gone and still affects him in some ways, but Raimone shared that he has learned how to live a healthy, confident life as a survivor of sexual assault.
Raimone closed his talk by emphasizing the importance of seeking help for your mental health.
“We have to make a decision to ask for help before we will receive it,” he said.
Next, Raimone began taking questions from the crowd.
The first question from the crowd asked when the last time Raimone spoke to Lin Manuel-Miranda was, to which Raimone responded “last night, after our show.”
Another audience member asked how Raimone balanced his healing process with his demanding schedule in professional theater. Raimone explained that musical theater became his escape during his healing process and how he had separated his personal issues and his career.
“I went to therapy in the morning, went home, cried, and took a nap. Then, I had a show in the evening.”
Raimone also shared that his favorite Broadway musical is “In the Heights” and his favorite score to perform in “Hamilton” is “The Room Where It Happens.”
The event concluded with a giveaway of eight signed copies of Raimone’s new autobiography entitled Becoming Magic.
