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Thousands of women share experiences of sexual assault on Twitter through #MeToo

Thousands of women share experiences of sexual assault on Twitter through #MeToo

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Women across Twitter and other social media platforms are sharing their experiences of sexual assault and harassment using the hashtag #MeToo, after actress Alyssa Milano suggested the idea in a post on Twitter last night. The outpouring of stories comes in the wake of several high-profile investigative reports from The New York Times and The New Yorker into decades of sexual assault and harassment from Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein. Many women quickly responded to Milano’s tweet, which said: “If all 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.”

Some responded to her tweet with just “Me too,” including True Blood actress Anna Paquin. Others detailed their own experiences. One person wrote, “The first time I was sexually assaulted, I was 13 years old. The last time it happened was 1 month ago, at work. I’m 52 yrs old. #Metoo.”

Men also voiced their support, including comedy writer Nick Jack Pappas, who wrote, “Men, don’t say you have a mother, a sister, a daughter... Say you have a father, a brother, a son who can do better. We all can.” Milano starred with fellow actress Rose McGowan in the late-’90s series Charmed. McGowan was temporarily blocked from Twitter last week for condemning Weinstein and those who have worked with him. (One post read “Ben Affleck fuck off.”) McGowan reached a settlement with Weinstein over undisclosed claims in 1997, according to the Times.

Since the publication of the reports, Weinstein has been fired from The Weinstein Company and dismissed from the Academy. Amazon Studios has also cut ties with Weinstein, and more women have come out detailing their harassment experiences with the producer, including actresses Angelina Jolie, Gwyneth Paltrow, and Cara Delevingne.