Imagine you are the first person to finish a test. You don’t want to be the first to turn the test in, so you sit and pretend to check your answers and wait for someone else to walk up first. Then, when one brave soul in the class gets up, you and six other people get up simultaneously to turn in your tests. 

This is how many victims of sexual assault feel. Everyday another person comes forward with an story or allegation, encouraging other women to share their stories. This phenomenon leaves some skeptical of their stories and motives.  

     On Oct. 15, actress Alyssa Milano started the #MeToo movement on Twitter to encourage men and women to share their stories of sexual harassment. Milano created the hashtag after film producer Harvey Weinstein was accused of sexual misconduct by several women, including actresses Ashley Judd and Rose McGowan, claiming decades of varying degrees of misconduct affecting many women.

     There are many victims of sexual harassment who never come forward with their stories. Some are fearful of judgement. Some fear no one will believe them. Some fear their abusers. All of these fears are realistic because society has normalized sexual assault.

     When sexual assault allegations against comedian and actor Bill Cosby poured out from 45 women in 2015, many were quick to defend him and label his accusers as opportunists and liars. Many believed that it was impossible that such a well-loved man could be capable of something so vicious. They did not want to throw away his legacy just because he made bad decisions in the past. 

     But these are not just bad decisions or mistakes. These are examples of men in positions of power exploiting women, and they do not deserve sympathy. We have normalized rape culture to the point that people do not believe allegations, no matter the quantity of evidence. This culture discourages women from speaking out on their own.

     Society’s expectations of hypermasculinity and the idea that men do not mind being sexually assaulted also discourages male victims from revealing their stories. When actor and former NFL player Terry Crews came forward with his story of sexual assault, many were shocked. It’s not usual for a man to come out with these types of allegations because of fears of being emasculated. Unlike others, he is not being widely labeled an opportunist or a liar. Few are questioning him. That is how it should be for all victims. 

     In essence, many of us enable sexual harassment. Whether you are the perpetrator or a bystander, you play some type of role in allowing sexual assaults and sexual harassment to become a social norm by tolerating perpetrators. Our president has over a dozen accusers and no actions have been taken against him. We tend to ignore sexual harassment in the workplace. Young boys and girls become familiar with this type of behavior because “boys will be boys” or “girls seek this type of attention”. 

     Anyone is capable of sexual assault. It doesn’t matter someone’s political party, race, gender or sexual orientation. Instead of wondering why there are so many stories coming out now, we should focus on what we can do to stop similar stories from happening in the future. We all have the responsibility of making this change.