Rep. Jackie Speier, D-Calif., launched a campaign Friday urging Capitol Hill staffers to share their experiences with sexual harassment and kicked off the movement by saying she faced harassment when she was a staffer.
Speier said her chief of staff once held her face, kissed her, and “stuck his tongue in my mouth.”
“I know what it’s like to keep these things hidden deep down inside. I know what it’s like to lie awake at night wondering if I was the one who had done something wrong. I know what it’s like years later to remember that rush of humiliation and anger,” Speier said. “You know what? Many of us in Congress know what it’s like because Congress has been a breeding ground for a hostile work environment for far too long.”
I’m sharing my #MeToo moment in the hope that my colleagues, & current/former staff who feel safe to do so, will join me. #MeTooCongress pic.twitter.com/dsGFhJ5joo
— Jackie Speier (@RepSpeier) October 27, 2017
Speier said she is launching a new campaign called “#MeTooCongress” that encourages former and current congressional staffers to share their experiences.
“There is nothing to fear in telling the truth,” she said. “And it’s time to throw back the curtain on the repulsive behavior that until now, has thrived in the dark without consequences. The time is now.”
Since the New York Times and the New Yorker revealed decades of sexual assault and harassment allegations against Hollywood film producer Harvey Weinstein, thousands have been sharing their own experiences with sexual misconduct on social media using the “MeToo” hashtag.
