SAN DIEGO — For San Diego tattoo artist Forrest Lang, the answer to the question from a user on TikTok asking what his favorite tattoo he did was simple. It was covering up the pimp's initials on a young woman who was sex trafficked as a 14-year-old girl.
Lang, a sex assault survivor, posted his response on TikTok.
One of the million-plus people who watched that video was "Jeremy", a young father from Tennessee who was molested as a boy and young teen. Jeremy, who only wishes to use his first name, responded to Lang's TikTok video. He stated that one day he wanted to cover up the scars on his arms and fingers from the man who abused him.
Lang responded to Jeremy and so did another TikTok user. She started an online fundraising drive to pay for Jeremy's trip to San Diego. Lang agreed to tattoo over Jeremy's scars for free if he could make the trip.
One month later, on July 24, Jeremy landed in San Diego and met with Lang to design a new tattoo that will cover Jeremy's scars.
The following day, CBS 8 was there to watch Jeremy take a step to move past the painful memories. '
“His followers have been so awesome and they just – I’m speechless,” Jeremy said of the overwhelming generosity of Lang’s supporters.
Lang, who also wrote a book on his experiences as a survivor of sexual assault and has a podcast, told CBS 8 that he aims to help others defeat the stigma of victims of sex abuse as well as how to help them move forward.
"I buried a lot of it my life and at times created two narratives or my past just like so many survivors do," said Lang.
Lang now plans to launch a nonprofit called "Whole Heart Tattoo" that will help cover the costs of trips to San Diego for victims to come and get scars or painful reminders covered by artwork. Lang says he remembers the pain that surfaced when he was reminded of his abuse as a young boy and teenager.
"I remember screaming that day, screaming all of the memories out, that I was molested, had to eat out of dumpsters, being beaten, abandoned, and molested again," says Lang. "That's when I decided I needed to really do something. I had to tell somebody. I had to help somebody."
After several hours in the tattoo chair, Jeremy left with some new memories, covering those painful ones.
Meanwhile, Lang has inked his future as a positive light for those living in dark times. “Although it is a difficult and uncomfortable topic, I feel stout and resolute in my purpose to at least let people know they’re not alone.”
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