Is fetishizing someone a form of sexual harassment / abuse?

Been talking about this recently with my friend who had a long term relationship with a secret chaser (people who fetishize trans people). She has severe sexual trauma from that, but is having trouble accepting it because it "wasn't really sexual assault". She did consent to every sexual encounter, and is only now traumatized by the knowledge she was used as a sexual object the entire time. She said she'll try to accept that it traumatised her, regardless of if it was sa or not, but the question of what type of sexual transgression it was, if it was one at all, is still really occupying her.