Today we’d like to introduce you to Rhonda Kuykendall.
Hi Rhonda, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
Sitting with a group of friends sharing childhood anecdotes, I began to notice my friends’ reactions: their eyes widened and sometimes their mouths gaped. It was then that I began to realize my world was much different than theirs. For me it was normal. I had nothing else to compare. Being born to a man and a woman who should never have married, my earliest recollection of childhood is filled with memories of domestic violence and sexual assaults. Blood, knives, shattered windows, sexual abuse, witnessing my father’s arrest, being separated from my sisters and living on my own with my father before the age of eight shaped my world.
In 1981, at the age of ten, I was taken with my parent’s permission by a then three-time convicted child predator. The term “sex trafficker” would not be defined in the Texas Penal Code until the year 2000. First I was driven into Houston and eventually flown to Lubbock. I would fly out on Friday, return on Sunday and Monday morning I was sitting in my school seat at Taylor Ray Elementary in Rosenberg, Texas. The years would pass and I told no one.
I married at 16 and had two children by 28 and still, I never confronted my demons. When I decided to find my trafficker in 2003, I found him sitting in a Texas prison convicted for the fourth time of sex crimes against children and given a 40-year sentence. Texas told me I was six years too late and past the statute of limitations in reporting the crimes against me. In Texas, if a victim did not report a crime of sexual assault by their 28th birthday, it was too late. This is where I began my passion for lobbying in Texas. It did not matter the evidence I had or the strength of my case. A law on the books told me it was too late and that did not sit well with me. I bought a Lobbying 101 book and marched to Austin. It would take me five years over two legislative sessions to abolish the statute of limitations for child sexual assault.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
My greatest obstacle is myself. If only I could see myself through the eyes of others. We are all a work in progress. Right? For survivors of trauma, the visceral reaction to triggers are real. In May 2021 I attended a Houston 20 event here in Houston where Florida attorney Jack Scarola was speaking to a group of human trafficking advocates about the Jeffrey Epstein case. As he described Epstein’s victims, I could feel my heart race, sweat increase. I look around the table, around the room. I take in deep breaths letting it out of my mouth slowly. Does anyone notice? Do I look normal like the rest of the ladies around the table? The victimization Scarola shared could have been my story 30 years ago and it still hits me hearing it today. Sex traffickers typically prey on kids from hard places. It is so important for those of us that are able to be Their Voice.
By focusing on legislative work, it is my safe space where I know the process, the players and the language. This realm is much different, unpredictable and unstable.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
During my first months of lobbying in 2003, I could not sleep. I woke up and wrote, “Children who are sexually abused will show no outward signs: no blacked eyes or bruised cheeks. For the victims, their signs are fear, mistrust, aggression, prostitution, and drug addiction. With every misdeed they commit, it only reaffirms their belief that they were to blame from the very beginning. Those that are able must be their voice. “ It would be five years later that Representative Menendez (today a Senator) would read those exact words on the floor of the House of Representatives. The years I spent lobbying and learning about advocacy have prepared me for the work I do today in Fort Bend County.
I serve on the Board of Directors of Child Advocates of Fort Bend chairing their Legislative Advocacy Team (LAT). The LAT works on bills for kids in foster care and sexually abused kids. I have been a CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocate) for five years and have completed three cases. Each week I volunteer in the Children’s Advocacy Center for four hours spending time with kids in the playroom or volunteering at the front desk. I also serve on CAFB’s Volunteer Council.
In 2019 Brian Middleton, our Fort Bend County District Attorney appointed me to Chair the FBCDA Human Trafficking Team. Our goals are to bring awareness to human trafficking in Fort Bend County, advocate for statewide legislation and support local ordinances. During the 87th legislative session, our team promoted several initiatives. Human trafficking training is now required in commercial lodging establishments and the owners can not retaliate against employees who report human trafficking. The SMART Act increased the age from 18 to 21 to work in sexually oriented businesses. Residential treatment centers in Texas will now be considered drug-free and gang-free zones and “no trespassing” signs will be posted. This will allow police officers to stop and question suspected traffickers around the premises.
Joe Madison with Demand Disruption and I are working to implement local ordinances in the cities of Fort Bend County to prevent illicit massage businesses from opening. Currently, Pearland, Meadows Place, Fulshear and Rosenberg have enacted their ordinances. Richmond is working on their ordinance now. Joe and I are contacting Sugar Land, Missouri City, Stafford and Katy soon.
In August, I am also going back to college to finish my Bachelor’s in Social Work degree at the University of Houston Downtown. I wrote my first essay in 30 years on “Sex Trafficking in Fort Bend County” and was admitted into the Honors Program. The goal is to finish before the start of the 88th legislative session in January 2023. I have no idea what doors will be opened once I finish my degree but for now, I am going to enjoy the process of learning.
Who else deserves credit in your story?
There is this guy. I met him when I was 12. I married him when I was 16. We have been married for 35 years. He jokes with everyone because as a married person in high school, he had to sign my report card and write me a note if I missed school.
Tommy Kuykendall has been there for me from the very beginning. He has known my story and has never been ashamed. That was big for me. Through his support, I gained strength. We have grown up together. His love for me, his care and concern for my life’s work…it is all I could ever ask for.
We raised two kids, now 24 and 21. Alyssa is a high school math teacher and Ty just graduated from college with a bachelor’s degree in Animal Science.
Tommy and I love to scuba dive and hike. He has a Kawasaki Concours motorcycle and I tried riding on the back of it but it just did not work for me. Recently I finished Harley Davidson Riding School and just purchased my first Harley.
I am beyond blessed in this life. Thankful to God for our life together.
Contact Info:
- Email: rhondakuy@comcast.net
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rhondakuy/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/theirvoiceintexas
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/rhondakuy
- Other: https://www.facebook.com/rhondakuy
Image Credits
Trina Rothman
