This Isn’t A Moment, It’s A Movement

I believe you. Those three words, repeated again and again, formed part of a not-so-quiet online revolution. As #MeToo gave women permission to stand up and speak the truth of their experience, this simple response validated their choice. Guiding those who felt lost when confronted with a loved one describing crimes committed against them, I believe you was a first-response script that anyone could learn. To believe women remains a radical act.

For victims of sexual assault, a fear that they won’t be believed is often chief among the reasons they don’t disclose. In the past, women who complained of legitimate health issues were labelled hysterical and even today, sufferers of endometriosis are still told they’re exaggerating their pain. Women who challenge the gender pay gap are too regularly shut down and told it doesn’t exist. Those who raise childcare or paid parental leave or family violence in public debate, are forced to take the “niche” conversation about “women’s issues” elsewhere.