Taylor Swift made good on her promise to donate money to help sexual assault survivors on the heels of winning her groping trial against DJ David Mueller on Monday, August 14.
The “Blank Space” singer, 27, contributed monetary aid to her close friend Mariska Hargitay‘s Joyful Heart Foundation, which the Law & Order: Special Victims Unit actress founded in 2004.
“Taylor is aware of the Joyful Heart Foundation and follows our work,” Joyful Heart Foundation CEO Maile M. Zambuto told The Huffington Post. “Her team got in touch with me and we talked a lot about her commitment, all along throughout this ordeal, to wanting to be of service to survivors.”
Zambuto was unable to disclose the amount of money that Swift donated, but said it was “an extremely generous financial investment in the movement to end sexual violence.”
“The experience of sexual assault and domestic violence can be extremely isolating. One of the most important points we make to survivors is this: you are not alone,” Hargitay, 53, told The Huffington Post. “I think it was really important to see someone like Taylor to stand up to her abuser so publicly because there’s so much secrecy and shame associated with sexual assault. Taylor had a choice to do this quietly ― to risk less ― and instead, she took this path as a survivor and as a symbol of strength and a source for so many survivors who feel really alone.”
The Emmy winner, who plays Lieutenant Olivia Benson on SVU, added that she hopes the singer’s decision to speak out inspires other survivors to come forward. “I hope that Taylor’s very public experience ― and her decision to speak out ― not only helps empower other victims to speak up and take action, but offers them solidarity,” she told the outlet. “I’m honored by her dedication and commitment to these issues, and I’m deeply grateful for her support of the Joyful Heart Foundation.”
Mueller was found guilty of assault and battery after he groped Swift during a backstage meet-and-greet in Denver in June 2013. After her victory, Swift released a statement to Us Weekly, in which she vowed to make “donations in the near future to multiple organizations that help sexual assault victims defend themselves.” Meanwhile, Mueller defended himself in a post-verdict interview with ABC News, claiming, “I didn’t do what they say I did. I never grabbed her.”
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