sexual harassment

Earlier this week news broke that after 20 years at NBC Matt Lauer was fired. The news comes after allegations of sexual misconduct were brought to the attention of NBC executives.

The Matt Lauer “earthquake” continues to unfold, with as many as eight accusers now being reported.

Amidst the slew of sexual misconduct allegations in politics, including accusations against members of Congress, America’s legislators have realized that more needs to be done to prevent these situations.

Another day, another bombshell. Garrison Keillor, the former host of A Prairie Home Companion and longtime cultural icon, says he’s been fired by Minnesota Public Radio over allegations of improper behavior. And rapper Jay-Z admitted that he has cheated on his wife, Beyoncé.

Lack of transparency enables abuse on Capitol Hill.

“Me Too.”

In one two-word tweet Alyssa Milano set off a firestorm of victim’s voices throughout Twitter and Facebook. On Sunday night, she issued an invitation for sexual assault victims to make their voice heard:

“Suggested by a friend: ‘If all the women who have been sexually harassed or assaulted wrote “Me Too.” as a status, we might give people a sense of the magnitude of the problem.”

Twenty-four hours later, the response was overwhelming. The magnitude of #MeToo had been retweeted more than a million times on Twitter and over 12 million times on Facebook. Celebrities like Lady Gaga and Debra Messing and women everywhere are tired of remaining silent. On the heels of the Harvey Weinstein sexual assault allegations and the massive cover-up that continues to unfold in the Hollywood industry, victims everywhere want the opportunity to be heard, and they’re hoping it’s finally time.

For the sake of brevity, I won’t attempt to discuss the massively destructive and far-reaching implications of sexual assault on a victim’s life; we know they are complicatedly vast. And as it pertains to the film industry and the wake of Weinstein victims, we’re still waiting on more truth to come to light and justice for the victims. What I want to communicate in this article are truths #MeToo victims can cling to when the sexual assault occurs in our own community or the cover-up happens in the church.

Photo courtesy: ©Thinkstock/Jacob Ammentorp Lund

If you have been on social media recently, you have likely seen the hashtag #MeToo circulating, drawing attention to all the women who have suffered sexual harassment and abuse.

The curtain is being lifted on sexual predation. That’s good. And it reveals why we cannot abandon Christianity’s liberating vision of human sexuality.

Few players in Hollywood are discussing the firing and investigation of film producer Harvey Weinstein.

I don’t expect ever to meet Harvey Weinstein or the actresses he reportedly abused. But in a nation where one in five women has been raped and one in three has been a victim of physical violence, in a society where child abuse is reported every ten seconds, I won’t have to go far to find someone who needs my help. Nor will you.