Safety Concerns And Heavy Stigma Among Reasons Domestic Violence Awareness Hasn’t Caught Fire Like #MeToo
Experts talk about why there isn't as much public support when survivors talk about why they stayed as there is for women sharing their sexual harassment and abuse stories. Part of the reason, other than safety and stigma, is that while #MeToo exemplifies the strength of multiple accusations, domestic violence survivors are often the lone voice speaking up about their individual experience.
The New York Times:
Domestic Violence Awareness Hasn’t Caught Up With #MeToo. Here’s Why.
When Kaylee Kapatos posted on Facebook this month that she was a survivor of domestic violence, using the hashtag #WhyIStayed, the response among her friends was muted. Only the week before, she had posted about sexual assault with the hashtag #WhyIDidntReport and got what she called “overwhelmingly positive feedback.” “It’s totally different,” said Ms. Kapatos, 25, who works as a residence life coordinator at Michigan Technological University. “People just don’t want to talk about it.” (Mervosh, 10/16)
Meanwhile, a campaign to get men involved in preventing sexual violence becomes a flash point in Texas —
The Washington Post:
Masculinity Is Not A ‘Mental Health Issue,’ University Of Texas Clarifies After Right-Wing Fury
Colleges and universities are walking a tightrope as they accept the burden of molding student values, sometimes finding themselves in conflict with Americans committed to a more traditional worldview. Nowhere is the friction more pronounced than in Texas, as illuminated by the story of how the state’s flagship university got caught in the maw of the culture wars. A campus effort to question assumptions about masculinity has become a flash point revealing how much influence right-wing media wields in debates over gender and sexual violence, as President Trump warns that the #MeToo movement holds dangers for men. (Stanley-Becker, 10/17)
