I Left Scientology Ten Years Ago This Week

This week marks ten years since I publicly left Scientology.

I use the word "publicly" intentionally, as it is a high crime in Scientology to leave publicly. People who commit such high crimes are declared suppressive persons (enemies) and risk losing everything they've ever known, from their family and friends to their job.

Imagine losing your job, spouse, kids, parents, and siblings simply because you announce that you no longer belong to an organization. Imagine losing everything that mattered to you within hours because you posted a short message on your private Facebook page. Imagine losing all of those things because an organization that calls itself a religion and has tax exemption is the one that orders all of those things to be taken away from you and enforces the separation with exacting brutality.

While I was fortunate that my family left Scientology with me, Scientology has punished me in many other ways. For committing this "crime" and becoming an advocate for victims, I am, and will forever be, retaliated against by Scientology's intelligence agency, The Office of Special Affairs (OSA).

In Scientology, it is also a high crime to report Scientology or any Scientologist in good standing to law enforcement. At the same time, despite their disdain for law enforcement, OSA works closely with the police, making it difficult for victims to come forward. This deters people from reporting crimes that involve Scientology and Scientologists.

The retaliation from OSA is extensive and elaborate.

Some of you may see it on social media; OSA controls hundreds of social media accounts dedicated to destroying advocates, journalists, victims, survivors, and whistleblowers.

But they save their most nefarious and criminal deeds for covert operations.

What Scientology is doing behind the scenes to destroy those brave enough to come forward and those brave enough to tell the stories of former Scientologists and expose Scientology's criminality is far more serious than even I was aware.

I want to express my gratitude to those of you who have supported me on this journey, including former Scientologists who have shared their stories with us on the Aftermath, on our podcast, and in private.

But I especially want to thank those who have never been Scientologists. Your care and concern, which so many of you have repeatedly demonstrated for survivors of Scientology, means so much to me and other former Scientologists.

There is a long journey ahead, but I promise I will never give up until Scientology and David Miscavige are held accountable for their crimes.

I will never be silenced.