San Luis Obispo mayor says she was raped in high school
May 3, 2021
Mayor Heidi Harmon
By JOSH FRIEDMAN
San Luis Obispo Mayor Heidi Harmon has revealed she was sexually assaulted when she was a 17-year-old high school student.
Last month, Harmon read a proclamation at a city council meeting on behalf of RISE, a nonprofit that helps sexual assault victims in SLO County. While making the proclamation, Harmon stated she is a survivor of sexual violence.
In the aftermath of making the disclosure, Harmon gave an interview to The Tribune in which she said she was drugged and raped while on a date as a 17-year-old high school student in Southern California. Harmon woke up in the middle of the assault, she said.
At the time, Harmon did not report the assault to law enforcement and only told one person that it happened. She blamed herself for going out with a man who was as much as 10 years older than her.
The rape is a 35-year-old wound that has affected her in various ways since it occurred, Harmon said. She suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder and at times has trouble doing her job, Harmon added.
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