I've just finished my university course (yay) and my graduation ceremony will be this summer.
I have absolutely no intentions of going, main reasons being:
I really struggled with my mental health in the first year and half, but made some amazing friends who really supported me until I was raped by my friends friend. Those 'amazing' friends didn't believe me, subsequently making me feel 1000x worse, withdrawing my police statement and attempting suicide.
I then moved back home to finish my degree, and now have an amazing partner and great job.
My university is split across different towns, so I changed to a different town to finish my degree, but as it's the same university, we would all be graduating together.
I have been back once to the town where I was raped since it happened, and I was an emotional wreck the whole day, and never want to go back.
My problem is that my parents keep mentioning graduation and that I have to go, they want a picture of me in the gown etc. And I'll regret it if I don't go. My partners parents have also said the same thing, and have said they would also like to attend, and mention it almost everytime I see them. My partner supports me either way.
So aibu to not go back to the town where I was raped, and where my rapist still lives whilst also seeing the very people who were my best friends and didn't believe me? Or is it some right of passage that I must go to, no matter how difficult the day will be?