PHOTO: Getty Images/Cultura Exclusive
In the days that followed several women coming forward to allege Donald Trump had sexually assaulted them, his campaign took swift steps to discredit them with statements from the Republican presidential nominee himself calling the women "sick" and "phony."
Some of his supporters also took to Twitter to launch the #NextFakeTrumpVictim hashtag to further disrepute and shame the women. "Decades later, no police report filed, a few weeks before the election. Yeah, nothing seems fishy here," one Twitter user wrote.
Comments like these come just one week after thousands of women rallied around #NotOkay to share their stories of sexual assault in response to Trump's leaked tape of misogynistic comments.
But there's a new hashtag women are gathering around this weekend to directly respond to comments in the vein of #NextFakeTrumpVictim: Started by Vox senior correspondent Elizabeth Plank, #WhyWomenDontReport encourages women to share why they didn't report their sexual assault—as if the reaction of Trump and his trolling supporters don't illustrate the reason well enough.
"We've had a master class today in why women are scared to report sexual assault," Plank wrote in the tweet introducing the hashtag. "Why didn't you report yours?" Dozens of women have already responded—and their stories showcase and speak directly to harm perpetuated by attitudes encompassed by #NextFakeTrumpVictim.
And here's why:
Lady Gaga even tweeted to lend her support to the women coming out to confront the issue.
Stigma around sexual assault is clearly a norm that must change ASAP—and that conversation is underway, thanks to these women who are speaking out.
Source: http://www.glamour.com/story/sexual-assault-survivors-explain-why-they-didnt-come-forward
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