This past Sunday, following the Harvey Weinstein scandal, actress Alyssa Milano took the initiative to tweet about the subject, sparking a new movement.
“If all the women who have been sexually assaulted wrote ‘Me too’ as a status, we might give people a sense of the magnitude of the problem,” She wrote.
As one of the recent accusers of Weinstein for sexual assault, Milano has not yet confirmed if her tweet was about him. But her proclamation quickly brought in some conversation. Many people, women and men including celebrities started to participate in the “#MeToo” movement by replying with the hashtag and revealing snippets of their personal accounts.
Although, not every person was ready to share their full story, Gabrielle Union’s participation seemed to stand out on the TL as she decided to share more specific details of her horrific assault.
The “Being Mary Jane” star opened up about her experience via Twitter to help combat the issue of victim shaming.
Reminder. I got raped at work at a Payless shoe store. I had on a long tunic & leggings so miss me w/ “dress modestly” shit.
— Gabrielle Union (@itsgabrielleu) October 15, 2017
Though I was raped by a stranger who raped me at gunpoint after robbing the store, I was still asked by a female “friend” what I had worn
— Gabrielle Union (@itsgabrielleu) October 15, 2017
Union received a lot of backlash from people in the comments but continued to post about the issue which in comparison got more people to support her and share their own personal anecdotes. She, in addition revealed on Twitter that she had actually written about her assault in her new book, “We’re Gonna Need More Wine,” a memoir in which she openly discusses issues that she’s dealt with in her life including her fertility struggle.
When ppl ask why I chose to write about my rape in my book or why I continue to speak about sexual violence…this right here. https://t.co/2BaO3gNj7D
— Gabrielle Union (@itsgabrielleu) October 15, 2017
In an interview with Robin Roberts on Good Morning America this morning, Gabrielle explained how the “#MeToo” hashtag encouraged her to speak out along with the details of her new book.
“I saw ‘#MeToo’ and my arm went numb. I thought it was all about me and when I realized literally hundreds of thousands of people, men and women talking about being a part of this unfortunate club, it just rips your heart out,” she says, “But I will continue to keep talking about it. I will continue to keep educating.”
And Union has definitely been doing so, as her voice on Twitter has been very prevalent lately while speaking on different issues. She’s expressed opinions on politics, LGBTQ rights, racial inequality etc all via Twitter this year and she just so happens to be taking on a new platform with her memoir. Hopefully it will influence people the same way her tweets have.
“We’re Gonna Need More Wine” is in stores now.
