Faith and church were central to Katie Trout’s childhood in Charlotte.
“I was born into the church. Yeah. I was at church several times a week. I went to a Christian school, K-12. I went to a Christian university,” she told Cardinal & Pine.
The relationship she had with the church was forever shattered when she was 15 years old. Trout, like one in every four girls and one in every six boys in the United States, became a victim of childhood sexual abuse. She says it happened at the hands of a staff member at the church she attended.
Now an advocate for survivors, Trout is speaking out against a specific candidate in a political race for the first time. In a new ad, Trout criticizes former state Rep. Sarah Stevens, the Republican nominee for North Carolina Supreme Court. Stevens is challenging incumbent Justice Anita Earls, a Democrat.
“[Stevens] actually fought against legislation to protect children from sexual predators,” Trout says in the ad. “I couldn’t believe it when I found out.”
“Sarah Stevens protects predators, she won’t protect you,” Trout concludes.
Who is Katie Trout?
Trout is an independent advocate for victims of childhood sexual abuse who has worked to pass legislation to protect children and hold abusers accountable.
In 2017, the #MeToo movement went viral, prompting victims of abuse to share their stories. An offshoot of #MeToo called #ChurchToo also took off on social media. That year, Trout told the world that she had been abused in her church.
“He was a volunteer in that group and also was a church employee. That friendship eventually turned into sexual abuse, which occurred repeatedly for about four years, from age 15 to right before I turned 19,” Trout said.
Trout kept the abuse from her family, but just before going back to college for her sophomore year, she told her family what she had endured for several years.
“That started the whole criminal process and the legal things. He was charged and is still a registered sex offender,” she said.
Why is Trout speaking out against the Stevens campaign?
In a recent interview with WUNC’s Colin Campbell, Stevens was asked about her opposition to an early version of what would become the Sexual Assault Fast Reporting and Enforcement (SAFE) Child Act, which Trout advocated for.
The original version of the bill extended the statute of limitations for victims of childhood sexual abuse to sue their abusers, as well as institutions associated with the abuse, until age 38.
“I honestly don’t remember it,” Stevens said.
However, an audio recording from a 2019 speech on the House floor, obtained by Cardinal & Pine, reveals Stevens had some concerns about how far to extend the statute of limitations for victims of childhood sexual abuse to sue their abusers and institutions involved in the abuse.
“They’re looking for those deep pockets. They sued the Newington Board of Education for something that happened a long time ago by a teacher, whether they knew about it or not,” Stevens said at the beginning of the recording.
Trout says that victims of sexual abuse, like anyone injured or harmed, deserve restitution.
“People don’t say that in cases where there’s bodily damage. No one would question, ‘Oh, I think you should be compensated for the damage that was done.’ But instead, survivors here are having to repeatedly, like, defend themselves against why they would be filing lawsuits,” she said.
Later in the recording, Stevens shares an example of how her own daughter, then a teacher, could be accused of inappropriate conduct decades after it hypothetically occurred and forced to defend herself.
“ I was trying to explain to my daughter a little about this bill […] She taught second grade. She teaches eight-year-olds,” Stevens said. “ Under this bill, for the next 30 years, she’s gonna have to be worried or prepared or ready to defend herself against any child who says, ‘I was inappropriately touched by her 30 years ago.’”
On July 31, 2019, Stevens was one of just 15 lawmakers in the House to vote against that early version of the SAFE Child Act.
In the recording, Stevens explained her opposition, saying, “I agree that we need to go against those perpetrators, but it needs to be within a reasonable period of time. It’s a three-year statute of limitations, currently three years after you reach adulthood, three years after 18, so until the child’s 21.”
“If people knew the amount of money that is spent on therapy alone after things like this happen, they’d be like, ‘Oh, now I really do understand why you feel like you need to be paid,’” Trout said.
In the 2019 recording, Stevens goes on to say that she has had discussions with Rep. Dennis Riddell (R-Alamance County) about raising the statute of limitations until the child is 28, rather than 38 as originally proposed. “ It’s hard to vote against a bill like this, but I feel like I need to based on the reasons I just gave you,” she concluded.
Trout called Riddell “probably the biggest champion for the SAFE Child Act.”
Later that same year, another version of the SAFE Child Act came up for a vote. This version raised the age at which victims of childhood sexual abuse can sue for financial compensation from 21 to 28 years old, rather than 38 as originally proposed.
On Oct. 31, 2019,, Stevens, along with every member of the North Carolina House and Senate, voted for that version of the bill, which ultimately became law.
What legislation has Trout fought for?
In 2019, Trout began advocating for victims of childhood sexual abuse, pushing for legislation to help victims and hold abusers, as well as organizations that protect them, accountable.
The SAFE Child Act was the first bill she advocated for and was upheld as constitutional by the North Carolina Supreme Court in 2025.
Trout worked for four years to pass the Public Safety Act, a broad, sweeping bill with many public-safety provisions, which Gov. Josh Stein (D) signed into law in July 2025.
In North Carolina, the age of consent is 16. However, for teachers, for example, it is illegal to engage in sexual activity with a student regardless of whether the student has turned 16 or not.
Trout believed this standard needed to apply to churches as well.
“I helped get language passed that basically says regardless of whether or not you’re, you’ve reached the age of consent, sexual activity is not permitted or allowed with church administrators, church employees, and volunteers,” Trout said.
Trout says that she has seen bipartisan support for the legislation she has pushed for and cited state Sen. Danny Britt (R-Lumberton) as instrumental in helping with the Public Safety Act.
Looking ahead, Trout said churches should recognize how many people in their congregations have been affected by sexual violence.
“The one in four, one in six. If you were looking out at your entire congregation, think of any, like, hundreds of people that is in a megachurch, who have been impacted by sexual violence,” she said.
For Trout, addressing sexual violence is itself a ministry opportunity. “They like to say, ‘Oh, we’re the hands and feet of Jesus.’ Well, that’s an easy one with the number of people who have been impacted by that.”
While Trout has advocated for legislation for many years, this year is the first time she has spoken out publicly about electoral politics. She hopes voters will consider the impact of elections on victims of sexual abuse.
“ I hope that before you go into the voting booth, you will just think about all the people you know who have been impacted by sexual assault and abuse, and just think about the impacts that your vote does have on them. There are real-life consequences for who we vote for and who we put into office,” she said.
