“I don’t care what anyone says,” I whispered into the empty room, hugging my knees to my chest. “Nobody should blame me for what I’m going through.”

The silence answered me back, cold and still. I wasn’t talking to anyone, but saying it aloud made it feel like someone might finally understand.

“I had sex with a man I met for the first time,” I said again, louder this time. “And I don’t regret it.”

I paused, letting the weight of my own confession settle in the ...