“#Me Too Movement” Against Rape and Harassment Takes to the Streets

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Thousands are expected to march in Los Angeles this Sunday against rape and sexual harassment in the wake of the Harvey Weinstein scandal. Photo Credit: David Shankbone/Wikimedia Commons

Suzanne Potter
California News Service

LOS ANGELES – The #Me Too social media campaign that went viral following accusations that movie producer Harvey Weinstein sexually harassed or raped a number of women is now taking to the streets, starting with a march and rally in Los Angeles this Sunday.

Tarana Burke, a women’s rights organizer in New York, created the meme about 10 years ago, but it gained traction after dozens of allegations surfaced against Weinstein and other Hollywood bigwigs.

L.A. rally organizer Karen Pomer says this movement is not just about the celebrity victims.

“We always quote Tarana Burke, who is the original creator of the Me Too campaign,” Pomer stresses. “‘For every Harvey Weinstein, there’s a hundred more men in the neighborhood who are doing the exact same thing.'”

The first major #Me Too rally took place the week before last in Paris. More are coming up, including one Nov. 25 in San Diego.

You can get more information on the #Me Too Survivor’s March Facebook page.

According to the World Health Organization, one-in-three women worldwide suffers physical or sexual violence.

After the allegations against Weinstein became public, the Me Too hashtag was reposted tens of millions of times.

Pomer adds that the problem is pervasive across all levels of society.

“Our focus is more on everyday people because it happens to us, too,” she states. “And we need to be the recipients of some of that empathy that’s been going around.

“Our focus is to help change the culture just by coming out.”

A 2015 survey by Cosmopolitan magazine found that one-in-three American women has experience sexual harassment in the workplace.

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