updated from March 24 2025 Interesting fact: Before his murders were discovered, Bundy did volunteer at a suicide crisis hotline in
Image credit: @5uffragette
updated from March 24 2025
Interesting fact:
Before his murders were discovered, Bundy did volunteer at a suicide crisis hotline in Seattle called the Seattle Crisis Clinic in 1971. The work involved speaking with people experiencing emotional distress, including suicidal thoughts. He was reportedly considered a competent volunteer and received training in crisis counseling.
He also became involved in crime prevention and victim advocacy efforts during his time in Washington state. While studying at the University of Washington, Bundy co-authored a booklet with another student called “The Rape Prevention Handbook” (1974). The pamphlet offered safety advice for women, such as awareness of surroundings and precautions against assault. Safety advice. Ted Bundy was a serial killer.
Part of his ruse was appearing empathetic and being near people in crisis.
Many abusive people do not present themselves as dangerous. Some deliberately cultivate reputations as helpers, protectors, leaders, or advocates because trust creates access.
Bundy’s case is often discussed in training about “the trusted offender” or “the wolf in the shepherd’s clothing” phenomenon: people who exploit positions of credibility.
For years, Survivors have been told:
- “Men wouldn’t pretend to be something they’re not just to hurt women.”
- “No one would go through all that trouble.”
- “You’re being paranoid.”
- “That would never happen.”
But history tells a very different story.
The problem has never been a lack of imagination on the part of predators.
The problem has been a lack of imagination on the part of everyone else.
Predators have repeatedly shown that they will spend years—sometimes decades—earning trust, building credibility, gaining authority, and positioning themselves exactly where women and children are most vulnerable.
If you still believe “men wouldn’t go that far,” consider these examples.
1. Men have become trusted religious leaders to gain access.
People often assume spiritual authority equals moral character.
History says otherwise.
The Catholic Church abuse crisis revealed thousands of children abused by priests across multiple countries while institutions often protected offenders rather than victims.
Abuse was hidden behind trust, respectability, and sacred authority.
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2. Men have become doctors.
One of the clearest examples is Larry Nassar.
As the longtime physician for USA Gymnastics, he sexually abused hundreds of girls and young women while presenting himself as a trusted medical expert.
Parents, coaches, and institutions believed his credentials.
The abuse continued for years.
3. Men have become therapists and counselors.
Helping professions depend on trust.
Some predators exploit exactly that.
Numerous licensed therapists have lost their licenses or been convicted for sexually exploiting patients who sought care during vulnerable moments.
The title “therapist” did not prevent abuse.
It created access.
4. Men have become teachers, coaches, and school officials.
Schools are built on trust.
Predators know this.
Former Penn State assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky used his respected position to sexually abuse boys over many years while concerns were repeatedly minimized.
Authority became camouflage.
5. Men have become police officers.
Most officers serve honorably.
But history also shows that some offenders have used badges to intimidate, isolate, or sexually exploit women who believed they had no safe way to refuse. Remember Daniel Holtzclaw? He was convicted of preying upon the most vulnerable victims. Victims he was sure no one would ever believe. Black women have endured this type of predatory behavior for generations.
And what about Roger Golubski?
The badge itself became part of the coercion.
6. Men have become employers and powerful executives.
Harvey Weinstein built enormous influence in Hollywood.
Women often believed that refusing him could cost them their careers.
His power created access.
His reputation discouraged reporting.
7. Men have become famous entertainers.
Jimmy Savile spent decades cultivating the image of a generous television personality and charity fundraiser.
After his death, hundreds of abuse allegations emerged involving hospitals, schools, and children’s institutions.
His celebrity shielded him.
8. Men have become philanthropists and respected community leaders.
Public generosity has never guaranteed private integrity.
History contains numerous examples of prominent civic leaders who used their respected status to gain trust while hiding abusive behavior.
Respectability can become a disguise.
9. Men have entered women’s lives as romantic partners.
The scary part about being a woman is that danger to many women comes from both strangers and people she knows.
It has come from husbands, boyfriends, ex-partners, and men they trusted.
Domestic violence organizations have documented for decades that intimate partners commit a substantial share of violence against women.
10. Men have become fathers, stepfathers, and relatives.
Many survivors were abused inside their own homes.
The offender was not a stranger.
He was family.
Trust became the weapon.
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11. Men have posed as allies.
Some abusive men learn the language women want to hear.
They call themselves allies.
They describe themselves as feminists.
They speak about safety and equality.
Then privately they exploit the very trust they worked to build.
Actions matter more than labels.
12. Men have infiltrated organizations created to protect women.
Survivors have reported abuse committed by people working in shelters, advocacy organizations, counseling programs, nonprofits, and other helping institutions.
No profession is automatically immune from predators.
Good missions do not eliminate the need for boundaries.
13. Men have lied online.
Catfishing is now common.
Predators create false identities, fake relationships, fake emergencies, and fake communities to manipulate women and girls into trust.
Sometimes they pretend to be another woman.
Sometimes they pretend to be a child.
Sometimes they pretend to be exactly what the victim needs.
14. Men have impersonated professionals.
There are documented cases of offenders pretending to be photographers, modeling scouts, talent agents, or recruiters to isolate women and girls.
Promises of opportunity become tools of exploitation.
15. Men have worn uniforms.
Predators have hidden behind uniforms, credentials, ID badges, and official titles.
Uniforms communicate legitimacy.
Predators understand that.
That is why impersonating authority figures has long been a recognized criminal tactic.
16. Men have patiently built trust over years.
Most abuse does not begin with violence.
It begins with grooming.
Small tests.
Small favors.
Gradually expanding access.
By the time outsiders recognize what happened, the offender has often spent years earning unquestioned trust.
17. Society repeatedly says, “No man would do that.”
History answers:
Yes.
Some men have.
Again.
And again.
And again.
The disbelief of others has often become one of a predator’s greatest protections.
18. This is why Survivors reject the argument, “Men wouldn’t dress up as women just to abuse women.”
Survivors are not claiming that every man would do such a thing.
They are rejecting the assumption that no predator ever would.
History has already shown that predators have:
- become priests
- become doctors
- become coaches
- become police officers
- become teachers
- become celebrities
- become philanthropists
- become husbands
- become fathers
- become trusted friends
- become online confidants
- become respected community leaders
They have spent years building false identities, false reputations, and false trust.
The claim that a determined predator would never change appearance, adopt a role, or present himself differently to gain access is not supported by the broader history of sexual abuse.
19. The lesson survivors have learned is painfully simple.
Predators go where the access is easiest.
They go where questions are discouraged.
They go where trust replaces verification.
They go where people insist, “No one would ever do that.”
20. Survivors are not asking society to abandon compassion.
We are asking society to stop confusing compassion with the suspension of reasonable boundaries.
Protecting women and girls does not require assuming the worst about every man.
It requires refusing to ignore what history has repeatedly demonstrated:
Predators are often patient.
Predators are often believable.
Predators are often respected.
And predators have gone much farther than society ever imagined—until survivors finally told the truth.
The lesson of history is not that every trusted man is dangerous.
The lesson is that trust alone is never a safety policy.
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🕳️ 50 Roles Men Have Used to Gain Access to Women for Abuse
Priest
Pastor
Youth Minister
Police Officer
Teacher
Principal
Coach
Guidance Counselor
Foster Parent
Stepfather
Uncle
Father
Social Worker
School Bus Driver
Camp Counselor
Correctional Officer
GYN/OB
Nurse
Massage Therapist
Dentist
Personal Trainer
Photographer
Modeling Scout
Talent Agent
Film Director
Billionaire Philanthropist
University Professor
Department Chair
Roommate
Co-worker
Boss
Uber Driver
Food Delivery Person
Home Repairman
Security Guard
Shelter Volunteer
Nonprofit Leader
Domestic Violence Advocate (yes, even here)
Trans Rights Activist (some—not all, but yes, some)
Feminist Ally
Online “Safe Space” Moderator
OnlyFans/Adult Content Creator posing as a woman
Influencer or YouTuber
The point is this:
Predators go wherever the access is easiest.
They go wherever women’s boundaries are weakest.
They go wherever they can hide in plain sight.
And yes, some of them absolutely do dress up, perform, or present themselves in any way they need to if it means gaining unfiltered access to women and children’s spaces, bodies, and trust.
Survivors know this.
We’ve lived this.
And we will not be shamed, silenced, or dismissed for raising the alarm.
Because our safety comes first.
Not someone else’s costume.
Not someone else’s feelings.
Our safety. Period.