Grace Tame

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Grace Tame
BornDecember 1994 (age 26)
Hobart, Tasmania, Australia
NationalityAustralian
Alma materSanta Barbara City College
OccupationArtist
Known forActivist
Parents
Awards
  • Tasmanian Australian of the Year (2020)
  • Australian of the Year (2021)

Grace Tame (born December 1994)[2] is an Australian activist and advocate for survivors of sexual assault. Tame was named 2021 Australian of the Year on 25 January 2021.[3][4]

Abuse and aftermath[]

Tame was a dual-scholarship holder at St Michael's Collegiate girls' school in Hobart, and had been diagnosed with anorexia in Year 10. Tame was groomed when she was 15 and then repeatedly sexually abused by her 58-year-old teacher.[5][6][7][8] Although the school was found to have had multiple opportunities to intervene, the abuse did not stop until Tame reported her attacker.[1] He was arrested and convicted of the offence of "maintaining a sexual relationship with someone under the age of 17", a crime, Tame argued, that needed to be renamed as in other jurisdictions due to its misleading use of the word "relationship" for abuse.[1] In sentencing Tame's abuser, Justice Helen Wood said Tame had been "particularly vulnerable given her mental state" and that her abuser "knew her psychological condition was precarious" and had "betrayed the trust of the child's parents and the school's trust in an utterly blatant fashion.”[1]

In 2017, social commentator Bettina Arndt was criticised for conducting a 17-minute interview with Tame's attacker, who had been convicted of sexual assault[9][10] and possessing child pornography.[11] He was subsequently jailed again for the production of child exploitation material, after describing his sexual relationship with Tame online.[12][13][14][15] During the interview, Arndt laughed and referred to "sexually provocative behaviour from female students". Tame criticised Arndt for supporting her attacker, accusing Arndt of "trivialising" and "laughing off" his crime,[15] saying, "Not only is the interview disturbing because it gives a platform to a paedophile. It's not a truthful interview."[8] Arndt was criticised for not seeking out Tame for her side of the story,[11][16] and drew police attention by including her name and photo without consent.[17]

Advocacy[]

Tasmania's Evidence Act had prohibited publication of information identifying survivors of sexual assault since 2001.[18] In practice, this prevented Tame and other survivors speaking publicly about their experiences, even as Tame's abuser bragged about his crimes on social media.[5][18] Tame's case led to journalist and sexual assault survivor advocate Nina Funnell working alongside Tame to create a campaign called #LetHerSpeak, in partnership with Marque Lawyers and End Rape on Campus Australia,[19] seeking to overturn this law and a similar law in the Northern Territory.[5] The campaign attracted global support from celebrities including Alyssa Milano, Tara Moss and John Cleese, and from leaders of the MeToo movement.[20] In August 2019, Tame spoke out for the first time after the campaign obtained a court order on her behalf through the Supreme Court of Tasmania[21][22] winning Tame an exemption from the gag law.[20] She was the first female sexual assault survivor in Tasmania to win a court order to speak about her experience.[22]

In October 2019, in response to the #LetHerSpeak campaign led by Funnell and featuring Tame, Attorney-General of Tasmania Elise Archer announced that legislation would be amended to allow sexual assault survivors to publicly speak out. Archer also announced planned changes to the wording of the crime noting that "the word relationship has connotations of consent."[23] In April 2020, the law was changed to allow Tasmanian survivors to speak out.[24]

Tame has become an advocate for others, focusing on helping people understand how grooming and psychological manipulation work and breaking down the stigmas associated with sexual assault.[4][24] She has worked with the Los Angeles Human Trafficking Squad to help them understand how grooming works.[20] She advocates education as a means of primary prevention of child sex abuse, rather than too-heavily focusing on responses, which can "fuel the unconscious belief that child sexual abuse is just a fact of life that we have to accept in our society".[3] She wants to eradicate victim blaming and normalise speaking out, and says greater consistency is needed between federal and state laws.[3]

On 15 March 2021, Tame led the Women's March4Justice event in Hobart.[25]

Awards and honours[]

In October 2020, Tame was named Tasmanian Australian of the Year 2021, ten years after her abuse.[19] She said, "I could be wrong but I don't think that a survivor of rape has ever been awarded in such a way and that's huge." "It's hugely empowering for that community recognising and normalising the act of speaking out. There's no shame in surviving. The shame sits at the feet of predators, of perpetrators of these crimes."[19]

On the eve of Australia Day 2021, she was named Australian of the Year.[24] The panel said, "Grace has demonstrated extraordinary courage, using her voice to push for legal reform and raise public awareness about the impacts of sexual violence."[4] She is the first Tasmanian recipient of the award[4][21] and the first as a public survivor of sexual assault.[26] Upon receiving the award, she said "All survivors of child sexual abuse, this is for us ... When we share, we heal. Together we can end child sexual abuse. I remember him saying, 'Don't make a sound.' Well, hear me now, using my voice amongst a chorus of voices that will not be silenced."[4][24][27][28] Her speech was praised as "powerful" and "extraordinary".[28]

Public life[]

May 2021 cover of Marie Claire

Tame featured on the cover of the May 2021 Australian issue of Marie Claire magazine. She was the first non-celebrity to feature on the magazine's cover in its 25-year history.[29]

A portrait of Tame by Kirsty Neilson was a finalist in the 2021 Archibald art prize. Neilson was inspired by Tame's passion, strength, and bravery in playing an instrumental role in changing Tasmania's gag law.[30]

Personal life[]

In 2013 Tame dropped out of St Michael's Collegiate, later re-enrolling at a different high school to graduate Year 12 with an ATAR of 98.3. She then moved to the United States where she graduated from Santa Barbara City College with degrees in theatre arts and liberal arts. She is an artist, and her clients have included John Cleese.[1] Tame married American actor Spencer Breslin in 2017.[31][32] Her current partner is Tasmanian Max Heerey.[33]

Tame has also spoken about her diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder.[34]

Further reading[]

  • "Grace Tame, Australian of the Year 2021". Canberra, ACT: National Australia Day Council. 2021. Archived from the original on 13 March 2021.

References[]

  1. ^ Jump up to: a b c d e Funnell, Nina (22 August 2019). "#LetHerSpeak: 'Monster hiding in plain sight' - Grace Tame's sexual abuse ordeal revealed". News.Com.Au. Nationwide News Pty Ltd. Archived from the original on 14 February 2020.
  2. ^ Wood J (12 August 2011). "State of Tasmania v Nicolaas Ockert Bester, Comments on passing sentence". Supreme Court of Tasmania – via Tasmanian Law Library.
  3. ^ Jump up to: a b c Crowe, David (25 January 2021). "'Eat my fear': Australian of the Year Grace Tame on surviving child sex abuse". Sydney Morning Herald. Nine Entertainment Co. Archived from the original on 8 March 2021.
  4. ^ Jump up to: a b c d e Burnside, Niki (25 January 2021). "Sexual assault survivor and advocate Grace Tame named 2021 Australian of the Year". ABC News (Australia). Archived from the original on 8 March 2021.
  5. ^ Jump up to: a b c Visontay, Elias; Rachwani, Mostafa (25 January 2021). "Tasmanian sexual assault survivor Grace Tame named 2021 Australian of the Year". The Guardian Australia. Archived from the original on 8 March 2021.
  6. ^ Truman, Isabelle (8 March 2021). "International Women's Day:How Grace Tame is Ensuring a Safer Australia for All Women". Grazia Magazine. Mondadori Media S.p.A. Archived from the original on 8 March 2021.
  7. ^ McPherson, Emily (3 March 2021). "Grace Tame criticises PM's response to Brittany Higgins rape claims". 9News. Nine Digital Pty Ltd. Archived from the original on 8 March 2021.
  8. ^ Jump up to: a b Knowles, Lorna (8 February 2020). "Rape survivor asks Governor-General to cancel Bettina Arndt's Australia Day honour". ABC News (Australia). Archived from the original on 8 February 2020. Lay summary – interview audio.
  9. ^ Sakkal, Paul (26 February 2020). "'Maintain the rage': Bettina Arndt urges supporters to fight 'feral mobs'". The Sydney Morning Herald. Nine Entertainment Co. Archived from the original on 26 February 2020.
  10. ^ Bevin, Edith (12 August 2011). "Teacher jailed for sex with 15-year-old student" (video). ABC TV News. Hobart Tas. Retrieved 4 February 2020.
  11. ^ Jump up to: a b Funnell, Nina; Graham, Chris (10 February 2020). "'Highly Dangerous, Incredibly Ironic': Grace Tame Weighs in On 'Fake Psychologist' Bettina Arndt AM". New Matilda. At Large Media Pty Ltd. Archived from the original on 10 February 2020. Lay summary – video interview.
  12. ^ Baines, Richard (12 January 2016). "Former private school teacher Nicolaas Bester jailed after calling sexual relationship with student 'awesome'". ABC News (Australia). Archived from the original on 4 October 2018.
  13. ^ Bevin, Edith (6 April 2016). "University of Tasmania silent on future of PhD student Nicolaas Bester jailed on child sex offences". ABC News (Australia). Archived from the original on 23 September 2018.
  14. ^ "Backlash over Bettina Arndt's Australia Day honour". News.Com.Au. Nationwide News Pty Ltd. 27 January 2020. Archived from the original on 31 January 2020.
  15. ^ Jump up to: a b Zhou, Naaman (25 January 2020). "Bettina Arndt awarded Australia Day honour for services 'to gender equity'". The Guardian Australia. Archived from the original on 28 January 2020.
  16. ^ Hadley, Ray (31 January 2020). "'Defending the indefensible': Ray Hadley hits out at Bettina Arndt" (audio). 4BC radio. Macquarie Media. Archived from the original on 31 January 2020.
  17. ^ Howard, Jessica (8 February 2020). "Abuse survivor Grace Tame adds voice to strip Bettina Arndt of AM honour". The Mercury (Hobart). News Corp Australia. Archived from the original on 8 February 2020.
  18. ^ Jump up to: a b Humphries, Alexandra (3 March 2020). "Sexual assault survivors in Tasmania win right to speak out publicly". ABC News (Australia). Archived from the original on 30 May 2021.
  19. ^ Jump up to: a b c MacDonald, Lucy (30 October 2020). "Let her Speak campaigner Grace Tame named Tasmanian Australian of the Year". ABC News (Australia). Archived from the original on 13 March 2021.
  20. ^ Jump up to: a b c Knowles, Lorna (12 August 2019). "Finally, she can speak". 7:30. ABC Australia. Archived from the original on 8 March 2021.
  21. ^ Jump up to: a b Warren, Kerry; Funnell, Nina (26 January 2021). "Grace Tame, sexual assault survivor and advocate, named 2021 Australian of the Year". News.Com.Au. Nationwide News Pty Ltd. Archived from the original on 26 January 2021.
  22. ^ Jump up to: a b Martin, Lisa (12 August 2019). "Grace Tame: Tasmanian survivor of sexual assault wins the right to tell her story". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 30 May 2021.
  23. ^ Blackwood, Fiona (20 October 2019). "Let Her Speak: Tasmanian Government announces sexual abuse victims will be able to tell their stories". ABC News (Australia). Archived from the original on 30 May 2021.
  24. ^ Jump up to: a b c d "Abuse survivor Grace Tame named Australian of the Year". AP News. Associated Press. 26 January 2021. Archived from the original on 13 March 2021.
  25. ^ Wilkins, Kasey (15 March 2021). "'Evil thrives in silence': Thousands attend Hobart March 4 Justice". The Mercury (Hobart). News Corp Australia. Archived from the original on 29 May 2021.
  26. ^ Funnell, Nina (26 January 2021). "Reason Grace Tame is an incredible choice for Australian of the Year". News.Com.Au. Nationwide News Pty Ltd. Archived from the original on 13 March 2021.
  27. ^ Neilsen, Inga (26 January 2021). "'I lost my virginity to a paedophile': Australian of the Year and rape survivor Grace Tame's powerful speech". 9 News. Nine Digital Pty Ltd. Archived from the original on 13 March 2021.
  28. ^ Jump up to: a b "Australian of the Year Grace Tame thrills nation with powerful speech". News.Com.Au. Nationwide News Pty Ltd. 25 January 2021. Archived from the original on 13 March 2021.
  29. ^ "Activist Grace Tame features on Marie Claire cover". Mumbrella. 15 April 2021. Archived from the original on 29 May 2021.
  30. ^ Stephanie, Mckenna (29 May 2021). "Grace Tame portrait among Archibald Prize finalists". The West Australian. Archived from the original on 29 May 2021.
  31. ^ Funnell, Nina (16 June 2020). "Tasmanian sex assault survivor Grace Tame finally allowed to tell her story". The Mercury (Hobart). News Corp Australia. Archived from the original on 16 June 2020.
  32. ^ Akki (6 October 2019). "Facts About Spencer Breslin - Abigail Breslin's Brother and Actor". Glamour Path. Archived from the original on 16 June 2020.
  33. ^ Stow, Katie (27 January 2021). "5 things you might not know about Australian of the Year, Grace Tame". Mamamia. Mamamia.com.au Pty Ltd. Archived from the original on 1 February 2021.
  34. ^ Daoud, Elizabeth (22 November 2020). "'I live for human connection': Australian child sexual abuse survivor on how she thrives 10 years on". 7NEWS. Archived from the original on 29 May 2021.
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