Sparked by #MeToo campaign, sexual assault survivors will march in Hollywood rally to ‘see they’re not alone’ – By Alene Tchekmedyian (latimes.com) / Nov 11 2017
Brenda Gutierrez said she was heartbroken when she saw her social media feeds fill up with survivors of sexual assault sharing their stories alongside the hashtag #MeToo.
So she, along with other survivors of sexual assault, decided to take the social media movement — which was spurred by allegations of sexual assault by powerful men in Hollywood — to the streets with a survivors’ march. The march is scheduled for 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday, beginning at Hollywood Boulevard and Highland Avenue.
“I want women and survivors to come out to see that they’re not alone,” Gutierrez said in a statement. “In sheer numbers, of black, brown and white, old and young, men and women, from all over Southern California, we can show that the impact of sexual assault goes way beyond Hollywood.”
Several survivors are slated to speak at Sunday’s event, including Tarana Burke, co-founder of Just Be Inc., an organization that provides guidance to young women of color, and Aleesha Barlow, who created Tell Somebody Inc., which works toward ending child abuse.
Gutierrez came up with the idea for the event last month after she followed Alyssa Milano’s Twitter request that women tell their stories of sexual harassment or assault with the hashtag #MeToo.
Gutierrez said she shared the tweet on her Facebook account, and later on she noticed that more than 40 women she knew had come forward about their experiences.
The online campaign began after several actresses came forward accusing movie producer Harvey Weinstein of sexual assault. A spokeswoman for Weinstein has repeatedly said that he “unequivocally denies allegations of non-consensual sex.”
A torrent of accusations followed, with people coming forward with allegations of misconduct by filmmaker James Toback, actors Kevin Spacey and Ed Westwick, comedian Louis C.K., and others.
http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-me-too-march-20171111-story.html
PB/TK – Speaking up about assault/harassment takes a lot of courage and a rally just may give others strength.
