Me Too

As two words pop up all over social media, demonstrating the wide scope of sexual harassment and assault, I'm here to say 'Me too.'

The trend started in the wake of the Harvey Weinstein scandal. Actress Alyssa Milano started the wave of social media posts, by saying that if all women who had experienced sexual harassment or assault wrote the words on their sites, it  might give people a sense of the magnitude of the problem. The idea has caught on, with millions of people stepping up. And it's important to say 'people' because men can be victims too.

This trend touched a long-buried nerve with me, so I felt compelled to add my 'two words' to the flood of others. For me, it was two-fold. I was assaulted in college by a man from my dorm, who I later found out had also assaulted some of my friends. And, around the same time, dealt with a coworker at a part-time job who took every opportunity he could find to make unwanted advances. Once, I finally lost my cool with him in a very public way, I learned my boss had seen it happening but didn't say anything because he was afraid of 'embarrassing' the male employee.

Have you ever been the victim of sexual harassment or sexual assault? If so, I encourage you to add your 'Me too' to the comments section under this post on our Facebook page. Let's help send the message that it's real. And it's never acceptable.

For more information on what to do if you're a victim of sexual harassment, log onto the website for the Maine Human Rights Commission.