Over the past several months, many women have voiced their experiences with sexual harassment. In October 2017, Alyssa Milano ignited #MeToo with a tweet, allowing people to speak up about their experiences with sexual harassment.
While Tarana Burke coined “Me Too” back in 2006 to help empower women and girls of color who were survivors of sexual violence, the phrase has often privileged the voices of white, wealthy (often famous) women. Marginalized voices have gotten lost in the hashtag.
A couple of weeks ago, the Vanderbilt Feminists tackled the issue of sexual harassment, specifically in the workplace, during its Intersectionality Week. I attended their Workplace Sexual Harassment event and learned a lot from it.
The moderators engaged in an active, educating discussion with those in attendance. We worked together to define workplace sexual misconduct with the help of a representative from Project Safe: any unwelcome sexual advance, request for sexual favors, or other unwanted conduct of a sexual nature, whether verbal or nonverbal.
After defining sexual misconduct, the presentation utilized intersectionality when discussing how sexual harassment could affect people of different identities. Applying intersectionality means recognizing that women of different identities (gender, race, class, sexuality, citizenship, etc.) experience their oppressions/lived realities in different ways depending on their identities. In regards to sexual harassment, people of different identities experience sexual harassment, reactions to their harassment, reporting, etc. in different ways.
An undocumented woman who works as a housekeeper, for example, will experience and think about the consequences, effects, etc. of sexual harassment differently than a white, middle class women would. An undocumented woman might think about losing her job, fear of deportation, or her ability to find another job.
In thinking about the #MeToo movement and workplace sexual harassment, it is essential to utilize an intersectional lens. We must recognize that people of different identities experience sexual harassment in varying ways depending on their intersecting identities. When we acknowledge this, only then can we come up with sustainable, effective ways to help survivors of sexual harassment.
Only then can #MeToo become more than just a hashtag.