Donald Trump’s Groping Remark Sparks Millions Of Women To Share Sexual Assault Experiences On Twitter Using #NotOkay Hashtag
Millions of women took to Twitter to share their personal experiences of sexual assault and rape culture in response to Donald Trump’s remark about grabbing women “by the p****,” the Huffington Post reports.
Canadian author Kelly Oxford was the catalyst that got the ball rolling, as she urged women on Twitter to open up about their sexual assault experiences in the social media site. In that same tweet, Kelly described how she was sexually assaulted on a bus when she was 12.
https://twitter.com/kellyoxford/status/784541062119456769
The response to Kelly Oxford’s tweet was so massive, with the author receiving 50 replies per minute. Within 14 hours, the number of women who shared their sexual assault stories amounted to nearly 10 million.
https://twitter.com/evolvingjen/status/784952353833222145
“Anyone denying rape culture,” Kelly wrote, “look at my timeline now.”
https://twitter.com/kellyoxford/status/784934911887106048
https://twitter.com/kellyoxford/status/784600019324338179
The sexual assault stories shared in response to Kelly’s tweet were varied, but the majority of them happened when the women involved were only minors.
13, male classmate flips my skirt up & I scream & slug him. Mr. Teacher tells me it's not ok to make up stories about these things. #notokay
— K. (@kimbroly) October 8, 2016
https://twitter.com/lauralcswc/status/785138672668737536
age 12. Church trip. Playing chicken in pool. Older boy puts his fingers inside me while on his shoulders. #NotOkay
— Moriah.? (@ForeverMoriah) October 9, 2016
my first assault was at 6. He was 12. I was told it was normal behaviour for boys at his age. #notokay
— T ????? (@mcblank) October 9, 2016
On Saturday, Kelly went on Twitter again to say how overwhelmed she was by the massive response to her tweet. And then she opened up about her second sexual assault experience.
https://twitter.com/kellyoxford/status/784543052987830275
The overwhelming response to Oxford’s tweet is indicative of how prevalent rape culture has always been in our society. And so far, the #notokay hashtag has been more than successful in bringing home the point: rape culture and the prevailing attitudes that reinforce it should be stopped.
A week before #TrumpTapes this article revealed evidence of the pattern of rape culture perpetuated by Donald #Trump https://t.co/QzWsdRLANe
— Stefan Simanowitz (@StefSimanowitz) October 8, 2016
The #notokay campaign is a direct response to the controversial video where Donald Trump was heard telling Billy Bush that he has a knack for grabbing women by their genitals. The footage was taken when Trump was on a bus with Bush while on their way to the set of The Days of Our Lives.
At one point in the video, Donald can be heard talking about her sexual advances on a married woman, whom he admitted turned him down.
“I moved on her like a b***h, but I couldn’t get there, and she was married. Then all of a sudden I see her, she’s now got the big phony t**s and everything,” Trump said.
Hollywood Reporter reveals that the woman Donald was talking about was identified as Nancy O’Dell, the then-cohost of Access Hollywood and currently a correspondent for Entertainment Tonight.
At one point during Trump’s conversation with Bush, they talked about Days of our Lives actress actress Arianne Zucker.
“I’m automatically attracted to beautiful [women]—I just start kissing them. It’s like a magnet. Just kiss. I don’t even wait. And when you’re a star they let you do it. You can do anything… Grab them by the pussy. You can do anything.”
Trump issued an apology to the Washington Post on the same day the video was leaked.
“Obviously I’m embarrassed and ashamed. It’s no excuse, but this happened eleven years ago — I was younger, less mature, and acted foolishly in playing along. I’m very sorry.”
“This was locker room banter, a private conversation that took place many years ago. Bill Clinton has said far worse to me on the golf course—not even close. I apologize if anyone was offended,” Donald said.
Melania said that Trump’s remarks in the 2005 video were “unacceptable and offensive.”
“The words my husband used are unacceptable and offensive to me,” Ms. Trump said. “This does not represent the man that I know. He has the heart and mind of a leader. I hope people will accept his apology, as I have, and focus on the important issues facing our nation and the world.”
As previously reported by the Inquisitr, Trump also made some disparaging remarks about his wife Melania two months after Donald had his “locker room banter” with Bush.
In an interview with Howard Stern, Trump described his then-pregnant wife as “a blimp” and “a monster.” Trump married her earlier that year.
“Like a blimp — in the right places. In her case, the right places. I mean she really has become a monster — in all the right places,” Trump said of his wife.
“You know, they just blow up, right?” Donald Trump added.
[Featured Image by Evan Vucci/AP Photos]
