Alyssa Milano,Padma LakshmiandLili Reinharthaveshared their sexual assaultstories in order to shed light on why victims don’t initially speak out afterPresident Donald Trumpquestioned whyBrett Kavanaugh’saccuser waited nearly four decades to report hisalleged sexual assault.
Hollywood and beyond spoke out on social media using the hashtag #WhyIDidntReport.
“Hey, @realDonaldTrump, Listen the f— up,” Milano, 45, began on Friday.
“I was sexually assaulted twice. Once when I was a teenager. I never filed a police report and it took me 30 years to tell my parents.”
TheInsatiableactress, who was a campaigner for the#MeToo campaign, then encouraged other sexual assault victims to follow her lead.
“If any survivor of sexual assault would like to add to this please do so in the replies. #MeToo.”
ActressReinharttweeted, “Because I didn’t want to lose my job or make people think I was a drama queen.”
Top Chefhost Lakshmi gutwrenchingly revealed she had been assaulted three times.
“I was 7 the first time I was sexually assaulted. He was a relative of my mom’s second husband. I told my folks and they sent me away. #WhyIDidntReport,” she tweeted.
“The second time I was 16 years old and a virgin. He was my boyfriend. “Date rape” wasn’t discussed in the 80’s. I was horrified and ashamed,” Lakshmi continued.
“The third time I was assaulted I was 23. I thought that no one would believe me, because no one wanted to stand up to him. I had seen the way Anita Hill was treated when she came forward.”
Also adding her voice was politician Rachel Crooks, who accused Trump during the presidential race offorcibly kissingher at Trump Tower more than a decade ago, also joined the movement.
“I worked in Trump Tower at a company partnered with Trump Organization. We had no HR department, no protocol, & @realDonaldTrump owned the building. Also, I was embarrassed that it happened, & thought it reflected poorly on me, not him. I know better now,” Crooks said.
“I think it’s a very sad situation,” Trump, 72, said. “He’s an outstanding person and frankly Sean, to see what’s going on is just very, very sad. You say, why didn’t somebody call the FBI 36 years ago? When did this all happen? What’s going on? To take a man like this and besmirch?”
Cheriss May/NurPhoto via Getty Images; Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
Christine Blasey Fordhas accusedKavanaugh, 53, of pinning her down to a bed, groping her and trying to remove her clothes at a high school party in the early 1980s.
Kavanaugh has denied the allegation, but Ford— a 51-year-old research psychologist and professor at Palo Alto University— is reportedly negotiating the terms under which she would testify before the Senate Judiciary Committee next week.
In addition to his Fox interview, Trump posted numerous tweets defending Kavanaugh on Friday.
source: people.com
