The woman who has accused Virginia Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax of sexual assault in 2004 broke her silence with a statement issued Wednesday afternoon. Vanessa Tyson — who is a professor in Southern California — offered her account of a sexual encounter with Fairfax.

“What began as consensual kissing quickly turned into a sexual assault,” Tyson wrote, detailing the events she says occurred during the Democratic National Convention in Boston that year.

“I consciously avoided Mr. Fairfax for the remainder of the convention, and I never spoke to him again.”

Tyson hired the same law firm that represented Christine Blasey Ford in her allegations against then-Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh.

In a statement issued Wednesday, Fairfax asked for sensitivity and respect on behalf of both his family and the accuser due to the onslaught of media attention.

“I know that many survivors of sexual assault suffer in silence, and it is absolutely essential to their healing and our healing as a culture that we give all survivors the space and support to voice their stories,” Fairfax wrote.

Fairfax had previously confirmed that he had a sexual encounter with Tyson 15 years ago, but has described it as consensual.

“As I have stated previously, fifteen years ago, when I was an unmarried law student, I had a consensual encounter with the woman who made the allegation. At no time did she express to me any discomfort or concern about our interactions, neither during that encounter, nor during the months following it, when she stayed in touch with me, nor the past fifteen years. She in no way indicated that anything that had happened between us made her uncomfortable,” the statement reads.

“I would like to encourage the media, my supporters, and others to treat both the woman who made this allegation and my family with respect for how painful this situation can be for everyone involved. I wish her no harm or humiliation, nor do I seek to denigrate her or diminish her voice. But I cannot agree with a description of events that I know is not true.”

The allegation has come to light just as Fairfax appeared on the verge of becoming the state’s next chief executive in the wake of a scandal involving Democratic Gov. Ralph Northam and a blackface yearbook photo.

“This has been an emotional couple of days for me and my family,” Fairfax said.

In a statement Monday, Fairfax said that The Washington Post had looked into the accusation and declined to publish a story on the matter.

The conservative blog which broke the story, Big League Politics, published a screenshot of a chat message from the accuser, describing a sexual assault in 2004. A source close to the accuser confirmed to NPR that the screenshot is authentic.

Despite the allegations, Fairfax doesn’t seem to be backing down.

“I look forward to continuing my work to unify the Commonwealth,” Fairfax said.

Tyson said she issued her statement to set the record straight and move forward. She also makes clear that this is the only statement she and her legal team will make.

“I very much wish to resume my life as an academic and professor,” Tyson said. “I do not want to get further embroiled in this highly charged political environment.”

This story first appeared on WAMU. This story has been updated with the statement from Tyson.