Yes. I would date someone based on who they are now and not on what happened to them that was outside their control. If such traumatic events led them to be the exceptional person I see before me at the moment, then that's what I'm proud of... Not what happened to them but how they overcame it to become who they are.

I feel confident saying this because I'm spending time with someone now who has suffered abuse of one kind or another most of her life. Despite that, she's one of the kindest, most caring, most considerate, and reasonable people I've ever known. She has accepted what's happened an and decided that she will define herself, not all that stuff that was inflicted on her. Is she without emotional scars? Certainly not. But she's one of the best, greatest people I've met in some years and anyone who judges or criticizes her based on her past - as some have done - is simply wrong and ignorant.

Don't let people define you. You own that, and you know who you are. There are people worth having in your life and those who are not. Seek the former and walk away from the latter without looking back or even a second thought. Both kinds are out there, and you'll find the ones you need.