The #MeToo movement faces double standards when it comes to male victims.
The movement started to spread virally in October of 2017 as a hashtag on social media. The goal of the movement is to demonstrate the widespread ignorance of sexual assault and harassment. The phrase had been mentioned years before its viral lift off, but after American film producer Harvey Weinstein’s numerous allegations of sexual assault began dominating the headlines, so did the hashtag.
Recently, Italian actress Asia Argento, who is one of the leading voices in the movement, has denied allegations that she had a sexual relationship with a young actor when he was only 17.
Jimmy Bennett, who is now 22, says that he had sex with the actress, who was 37 at the time, in a California hotel in 2013, two months after he turned 17, according to The New York Times. The legal age of consent in California is 18.
Bennett told Daily Mail that he did not initially speak out about his story because he chose to handle it in private with Argento, yet his trauma resurfaced as Argento came out as a victim of sexual assault herself. He also said he was ashamed and afraid to be part of the public narrative and was concerned about the stigma of being a young male in that sort of situation.
One of the founders of the movement, Tarana Burke, states in a tweet from Oct. 15, 2017, “It’s beyond a hashtag. It’s the start of a larger conversation and a movement for radical community healing.” The movement encourages millions of people to speak out about sexual violence and harassment, and strives to let victims know they are not alone.
It is a shame that young men, who also go through sexual harassment, are embarrassed to speak out about their stories. This movement was set up so nobody would feel alone in their battle of harassment.
People think that just because men are often identified as the abuser it means that they cannot be abused themselves. This is a lie.
Anyone can be a victim of sexual assault. Masculinity or femininity is not diminished by something the victim had no control over. Speaking out about a story will never cause people to judge you. Everybody should be able to live a life free of fear from being sexually harassed, especially in the work place. Every work place should be safe.
