#MeToo: A spotlight for the crime hidden in the shadows

Ten-year-old movement sheds light on sexual assault

By Rosemary De Souza, Staff Writer

“In early January 2016, there were a large number of conversations about sexual harassment and assault happening privately and publicly in the music scene,” recalled Veronica Lawrence. She is the co-founder of the Society for the Advocacy of Safer Spaces (SASS). It is a volunteer-led organization founded in 2016 that has lent a hand in creating safer environments within the Calgary arts community.

“We knew a number of people who recognized there were problems, but weren’t sure how to solve them,”Lawrence said. “We knew that the primary tool to create change would be education, and we partnered with Calgary Sexual Health Centre to offer their workshops tailored for local venues.”

Sexual violence “is super prevalent but still is something that we don’t talk about enough,” said Emily Ophus, the Community Programs Manager at the Calgary Sexual Health Centre. But “in light of recent events, it is something that is coming into the attention of a lot more people,” she said.

Hollywood in the spotlight

On Oct. 5, 2017, news broke of sexual misconduct allegations against Hollywood producer and (now former) film executive, Harvey Weinstein, by several women in a New York Times article by Jodi Kantor and Megan Twohey. The report resulted in resignations by four board members in the Weinstein Company and of Weinstein himself, according to a New Yorker report by Ronan Farrow.

Farrow, a contributor for the New Yorker, released his 10-month investigative report five days after the New York Times, detailing rape, sexual assault and sexual advances experienced by 13 women within a timespan of two decades.

Every major news station started covering the story. Accusations were coming out from current and former actresses, models, reporters and employees. They took their stories to news stations, talk shows, magazines and across social media.

“#metoo I was 15 he was 24. I said stop! He kept going. The worst part it was my brother’s friend and he believed him over me … never forget.” – Twitter user

As investigation towards Weinstein’s misconduct progresses, ELLE’s online magazine details a full list of accusers that are now prevailing three decades of sexual assault, harassment, unwanted advances and even rape allegations against the movie mogul from more than 50 women.

On Oct. 15, American actress Alyssa Milano took to Twitter to call on other victims of a similar misconduct. “If you’ve been sexually harassed or assaulted write ‘me too’ as a reply to this tweet,” the actress tweeted.

Exactly one month later on Nov. 15, that tweet reached 25,188 retweets, 53,464 likes and around 69,000 replies from other individuals coming out with their own personal experiences.

Two simple words — me too — were said by Twitter users, while others detailed personal encounters that occurred to them as young as the age of seven.

“Me too from when I was 7 yr old until I was 10,” one Twitter user said.

“Me too, he was my stepfather,” another commented.

“#metoo I was 15 he was 24. I said stop! He kept going. The worst part it was my brother’s friend and he believed him over me … never forget,” said another.

Even celebrities like Amber Anderson, Lady Gaga, Gabrielle Union, Patricia Arquette and many others took to Twitter to show support, continuing the stream of stories pouring from the social media site. This support further popularized the campaign, which has gained more than 200,000 tweets by 4 a.m. Oct. 16, according to the Washington Post.

Unheard voices in the conversation

“It’s getting people talking,”said Ophus. “What the campaign has done lately is shine a light on something that has been happening forever but now as a community we’re starting to pay more attention and maybe be more concerned that it’s a problem.”

“‘Me too’ was originally started more than 10 years ago by Tarana Burke. It was intended to be a phrase shared from survivor to survivor,” commented Lawrence. “She wanted young women of colour to find comfort in each other as fellow survivors and find strength together.”

“Unfortunately, it seems like the voices of women of colour got lost in the conversation. Most of the more prominent faces associated with this very public reckoning for sexual predators have been white faces – both the faces of predators and their survivors. Women of colour and Indigenous women are statistically much more likely to be sexually harassed and assaulted, and their voices need to be at the foreground of this movement if we are to truly learn what needs to change.”

According to a report by the Canadian Women’s Foundation, “sexual assaults account for about 33 per cent of all crimes committed against Aboriginal women and 10 per cent of all crimes committed against non-Aboriginal women.”

In 2012, the Western Journal of Emergency Medicine, published a study wherein African American women “had the highest prevalence of having been forced to have sexual intercourse.”

While researchers continue the debate on which ethnic group is more likely to face sexual pressure, assault or violence, “nearly all researchers can agree that women of different ethnicities are not victimized at the same rate,” stated New York University Applied Psychology graduate, Devonae Robinson, in an online publication for the university.

What can we do?

“There is a ton of work to do,” said Lawrence. “People can attend workshops with Calgary Sexual Health Centre or CCASA (Calgary Communities Against Sexual Abuse), read more about these issues and listen to their friends who are survivors. People can keep having open dialogue about why this is happening and how it harms survivors.”

“The campaign highlights this need for people to talk about this issue,” Ophus explained, “and so what we’ve done, we started to host community conversations that are free and open to the public that want to talk about things related to sexual violence.”

#CalgaryGetsConsent is a campaign launched by the Calgary Sexual Health Centre. Check out calgarygetsconsent.ca for more details.

“The biggest step is to stop being silent, to start talking about it, start recognizing how big the problem is and our place in it,” said Ophus. “Addressing sexual violence is a shared responsibility among all community members.”

“Saying ‘I believe you’ is great, but we need to go beyond that,” said Lawrence. “Will you still believe her if it is your best friend who assaulted her?”

“We also need to do a better job of allowing all children, but especially young boys, to explore different concepts of gender and masculinity. We need to strip away the outdated ideas of manhood that stifle men into boxes they don’t fit. Sexual assault and rape are not about sex, they are about power, and folks feeling that they need to exert their power over those they perceive as weaker,” continued Lawrence.

“We need to have open conversations about consent in all aspects of life,” Lawrence said. “Children can be taught consent in a meaningful way that does not involve discussing sex. Coercion, forced physical affection and quieting of children’s own feelings about their body are taught from a young age with kids being forced to hug strangers and family members against their will,” she explained.

“I do think that #metoo has expanded the public consciousness on these issues and opened up a lot of very uncomfortable conversations for people, and that’s good,” she said. “To make progress and create a culture shift, norms need to be challenged and people will feel uncomfortable.”

“I hope that this becomes a turning point in society where we start to see an end to the complicity that allows these predators to hide in the shadows while harming women for years.”

Check out the following websites for more information to get involved in the conversation: theatreconsent.com, calgarygetsconsent.ca, sasscalgary.com and calgarysexualhealth.ca.