Miss America 2014 Candidate a Product of Rape: 'I Believe God Put Me Here for a Reason,' Valerie Gatto Says
Valerie Gatto, 24, is representing the state of Pennsylvania in the Miss USA 2014 pageant has opened up about the fact that she is a product of rape. Gatto said that she believes God has a purpose for her life and is using her newfound fame to help bring people hope.
"I believe God put me here for a reason," Gatto told Today.com. "To give people hope that everything is possible and you can't let your circumstances define your life. I hope to show others how to be proactive, what to do, to be present, to be aware of your surroundings. It's so awesome to see their responses. They say it changes their life."
Gatto's website states that she did not learn the truth about her conception until she was 10 years old; her mother revealed that she had been raped at gunpoint when she was just 19. She considered putting the baby up for adoption, but her grandmother gave her the inspiration and hope to raise Valerie.
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"Valerie's mom told her family about her adoption plans, but Valerie's great-grandmother said, 'God doesn't give you more than you can handle.' Her mother listened and decided to raise Valerie with the help of God and her family," her website states.
Gatto is thrilled to represent the state of Pennsylvania in the upcoming Miss USA pageant and plans to use the platform to bring education to those who have misconceptions about rape and sexual assault. She credits her family and Christian upbringing with helping her cope with her mother's rape and brought her to this point in her life.
"I've always been a positive person, and I went to church all the time when I was little," Gatto told the TribLive. "I think it was more about having religion and Christianity a lot of my life. So, I knew that God put me here for a reason and, although circumstances weren't the same as a traditional family with the perfect white-picket fence, he gave me to my family and my mother for a reason. I want to do him proud and my family proud. He put me here to do great things, and I'm not going to let that stop me."
The Miss USA pageant airs Sunday night.
