#MeToo campaign shines light on those sexually harassed or assaulted

WireImage/Gabriel Olsen(LOS ANGELES) — A social media campaign highlighting and empowering victims of sexual assault and abuse has taken over Twitter and other social media platforms since it began Sunday afternoon.

Actress Alyssa Milano was one of the first to share the call for a “me too” hashtag, writing, “If you’ve been sexually harassed or assaulted write ‘me too’ as a reply to this tweet.”

She shared a note from a friend, which read, “If all the women who have been sexually harassed or assaulted wrote, ‘Me too’ as a status, we might give people a sense of the magnitude of the problem.”

Since Sunday, 650,000 tweets have included the hashtag, along with more than 12 million posts, comments and reactions happening on Facebook.

Other women who have used #metoo on social media include Lady Gaga and actresses Anna PaquinDebra Messing and Jeri Ryan.

Westworld actress Evan Rachel Wood added a note: “Because I was shamed and considered a ‘party girl’ I felt I deserved it. I shouldnt have been there, I shouldn’t have been ‘bad.'” 

In addition to this campaign, Milano also addressed the Weinstein situation last week on her blog , Patriot Not Partisan.

“To the women who have suffered any form of abuse of power, I stand beside you. To the women who have come forward against a system that is designed to keep you silent, I stand in awe of you and appreciate you and your fortitude. It is not easy to disclose such experiences, especially in the public eye,” she wrote.

Weinstein has been accused of sexual misconduct by numerous women, including actresses Ashley Judd, Gwyneth Paltrow and Angelina Jolie.

Weinstein was fired from The Weinstein Company, which he co-founded, and has been expelled from The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

A spokesperson for the movie executive said, “Any allegations of non-consensual sex are unequivocally denied by Mr. Weinstein.”

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