34 Time October 21–28, 2019
On Oct. 15, 2017, Alyssa Milano asked her
Twitter followers to reply “me too” if they
had been sexually harassed or assaulted, a
reference to the Me Too campaign I started in
- For millions, it was the first time they
were invited to open up about the trauma
their experiences with sexual violence had
caused. For hundreds of thousands, it was the
start of a much needed conversation about
safety in our workplaces, neighborhoods
and communities. And for a few hundred, it
meant a disruption in the harmful, toxic be-
havior they were engaged in, using the vari-
ous seats of power they held.
What happened two years ago was a his-
toric and critical part of one of the most sig-
nificant movements in the world, but we
know it didn’t result in the kind of major
shift in culture that the movement needs—
the kind where not only laws and policies
change but indi-
viduals also feel a
sense of responsi-
bility to survivors
for the harm that
has been done and
for the bodily au-
tonomy they all
deserve. It was a
consciousness-
stirring moment,
but it’s not enough
to create aware-
ness. What matters
is what we do next.
The U.S. iS just over a year away from the
most consequential election in decades, and
not one remaining presidential candidate has
prioritized addressing sexual violence as a
platform issue. (Kirsten Gillibrand was vocal
about it, but she’s no longer in the race.)
We, as survivors, aren’t just people look-
ing for services. We are a constituency look-
ing for change. We are working people, tax-
payers and consumers who push through our
trauma every day, despite being triggered
and erased by a world that tells us our healing
isn’t important. It’s been only two years since
the movement began to shed light on the be-
havior of wealthy and powerful predators,
but we’ve already witnessed many of them
return to and continue their daily lives with-
out much consequence or repercussions.
Candidates have a responsibility to ad-
dress the rampant sexual violence that per-
meates all of society’s systems and structures,
including government. If we are talking
about sexual violence as a public-health
crisis—and with more than 19 million respon-
dents to the #MeToo hashtag in the first year
alone, and a record numbers of calls at rape
crisis hotlines across the country, I feel confi-
dent doing so—then it should be talked about
with the same seriousness as other topics
that have received far more attention. Poli-
cies around race, immigration and health care
have rightfully taken center stage during the
recent presidential debates, but something as
prevalent as sexual violence, an issue span-
ning and intersecting with all of the above,
has been largely overlooked.
Sexual violence is a national problem that
deserves a national response. If we are in-
vested in the outcome of this movement that
we’ve built, then we must ensure that it re-
mains part of the conversation.
With no presidential candidate that seems
willing to truly and
publicly grapple
with this bipar-
tisan issue, we
must once again
raise our voices.
We must demand
that the men and
women who want
to represent us in
the White House
and other politi-
cal offices speak
directly to and
respond to our
needs. And we
must be clear that we are ready to vote for ac-
countability in 2020. We deserve a country
that values our safety, since its health and
prosperity depends on our well-being.
I am one person who saw a problem and
tried my best to ignore it. I tried to ignore it
when it happened to me, I tried to ignore it
when it happened to folks in my family and
I tried to ignore it when I saw it ripping my
community apart. I tried and tried until the
part of my heart that has a passion for justice
could not ignore it any longer. Today none of
us can justify ignoring it.
Two years ago, millions of Americans
bravely raised their hands to say that their
lives had been affected by the scourge that is
sexual violence. Their hands are still raised
while we wait for our candidates to answer
a question that hasn’t even been raised yet:
What about Me Too?Burke is the founder of the Me Too movementPresidential candidates have not prioritized
sexual violence as a campaign issueTheView Opener
SHORT
READS
▶ Highlights
from stories on
time.com/ideasShining a lightSelena Gomez knew
she might face
criticism when she
signed on to executive-
produce a show
about undocumented
immigrants, but
that didn’t stop her.
“Immigration goes
beyond politics and
headlines,” she writes.
“It is a human issue,
affecting real people,
dismantling real lives.”Too close for
comfortAlthough President
Trump is at the center
of the impeachment
inquiry, Martin London,
who represented
former Vice President
Spiro Agnew, says Vice
President Mike Pence
should worry too. “It
becomes reasonable
to consider that it
could be President
Pelosi who will deliver
the next State of the
Union address,” he
writes.Divide and
conquerWhen Eve Rodsky
realized her husband
did not appreciate the
extra work she was
doing for their family,
she created a system
to ensure they split
responsibilities fairly.
“Only when you both
believe that your time
is equally valuable will
the division of labor
shift toward parity in
your relationship,” she
writes in Fair Play.