By Hannah Saunders
Seattle activist by the name of “Rat Diva,” is in the process of launching Rat Diva’s Legal Haus, a legal and advocacy support website and network for sexual assault survivors, after eight victims have come forward to share their experiences with Mickey Rowe. Rowe, 37, was heavily involved in the city’s leftist activism space until early June, when several victims spoke out.
“Rat Diva’s Legal Haus is dedicated to supporting survivors in a variety of ways, including building community, help writing testimonies, and connection to broader community resources,” Rat Diva told TtS.
Victims have reported rape, sexual assault and harassment, being sent unwanted sexual texts and explicit footage, and having their boundaries repeatedly violated. Several victims highlighted Rowe’s “nice guy,” facade, and last night, TtS reported, alongside Rat Diva, that he is actively hunting women on dating apps, like Hinge and Feeld.
“There is nothing I want more than to make sure you have the best orgasms of your life. Your pleasure is my pleasure. I’m an eater with strong and gentle hands and am happy to send more descriptive pictures of myself upon request,” Rowe wrote on his Feeld profile.
After the initial set victims spoke out in June, Rowe reportedly lost his job and custody of his two children. A former friend of Rowe’s shared screenshots with TtS, where he complained about how he doesn’t have any community left in Seattle. TtS suspects Rowe is spending much of his time on these dating apps, and has confirmed that he is preying on women as far as Olympia.
Rat Diva and TtS recently “collaborated” on several Instagram posts, warning the community of Rowe. At the time of publishing, there were five confirmed victims from recent incidents. Within less than 24 hours of alerting community members, that number has totaled to eight and counting. The earliest assault uncovered thus far dates back to 2010, when Rowe was attending the University of Washington (UW) and assaulted another student in the drama department. This individual reports witnessing additional harassment from Rowe towards other members of the drama department during his time as a student at UW, though additional victims have not yet come forward.
With the amount of Rowe survivors spanning an at least 16 year period coming forward, as well as survivors with other perpetrators reaching out, Rat Diva thought it necessary to launch the Rat Diva Legal Haus. They told TtS that the Haus’s mission statement is:
“Providing legal advocacy and support to the greater Seattle area for victims of sexual assault, in addition to specialized anti-ICE trainings, especially in navigating Queer issues during immigration stops.”
This work is important to Rat Diva because when they were 15-years-old, they were forced to represent themself against a man who terrorized them for over eight years.
“I was still mandated to represent myself against an attorney while underage in a public courtroom,” Rat Diva said. “The American legal system is dependent on its citizens not knowing, not exercising, and not defending their personal rights. I hope to help mend this gap with individual and community education. We’re stronger together.”
Activism spaces and sexual abuse
Sexual predators thrive in activism spaces due to the trust that comes with shared values (and the exploitation of that trust) and informal leadership structures; youth are particularly at risk. These predators also tend to use social justice and harm reduction language as a form of building trust. Rowe, for example, reportedly used his Trans daughter as a way to get close to LGBTQ+ victims and women. And sexual abuse in activism spaces has always been present.
Back in March, the NYT broke news about United Farm Workers leader Cesar Chávez sexually assaulting and raping girls, with co-founder Dolores Huerta also coming forward about the abuse she endured in the 60s. Victims and survivors of sexual assault face stigma or are all together not believed, and 98% of perpetrators are freely roaming our communities, according to RAINN.
Support with launching the Haus
Rat Diva is building a website, among other things, and said they could use some financial support with launching the Haus and other fees. They started a $300 fundraiser and are accepting donations on Venmo @ RatDiva. To pay for liability insurance, $200 is needed, and $100 will go towards material expenses, like website costs, printing, press board filing folders for people who are going to court, and dividers.
Rat Diva’s qualifications and experience include a B.S. in Human Development and Family Sciences, an internship with a domestic violence and family law firm, and eight years of work with unhoused teens and foster care youth. They have also served on the King County Commercially Sexually Exploited Children Task Force, and was a Harvard plenary speaker for their thesis on child abuse research.
Connect with Rat Diva at rat.diva@proton.me or on Instagram.
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