Following suit with many of the actresses and celebrities (and activists!) that attended last weekend’s Golden Globes, multiple female lawmakers in the House of Representatives and Senate have plans to wear black to President Trump’s State of the Union address on January 30.
Democratic Rep. Jackie Speier confirmed to USA Today on Thursday that an effort had been proposed for Democratic female lawmakers to dress in all-black to the State of the Union address to protest sexual misconduct and “send a strong message” to the president, who has been accused of sexual harassment and assault by over a dozen women.
“I hope we see men and women across the House floor wearing black and embracing the concept that we do not tolerate sexual harassment,” Speier told USA Today. “Whether you’re in Hollywood or in politics, we will show sexual harassment will not be tolerated.”
My colleagues and I in the @HouseDemWomen are calling on our fellow MoCs – women & men, Democrats & Republicans – to wear black to this year’s #SOTU in solidarity w/survivors of sexual harassment/violence in Hollywood, politics, the military, academia, etc. #TIMESUP #MeToo
— Jackie Speier (@RepSpeier) January 10, 2018
Speier is also one of several congresswomen who plans to take the demonstration a step further by bringing an activist as a plus-one to the speech — as the Huffington Post reports, she’s invited #MeToo creator Tarana Burke, and other members will be bringing advocates and survivors of sexual assault as their guests. While several Democratic women apparently floated the idea of inviting several of the president’s accusers, that reportedly (unfortunately) won’t be happening. Members of the Congressional Black Congress also have plans to wear red pins to honor Recy Taylor, a black Alabama woman who was raped by six white men who were never indicted.
Hopefully, as many women (and men!) will make the decision to stand with sexual misconduct victims by wearing black to the State of the Union address as they did at the Golden Globes. Because if the last few months have made one thing clear, it’s the fact that sexual misconduct affects women in every industry, in all parts of the country — and it’s time for it to stop.