Celebrities are Working to Prevent Sexual Violence

Over the past couple years, many celebrities have come forward with their own stories of sexual violence. These stories are just as heartbreaking as the ones we hear from our friends who have experienced it as well. Sharing these stories has not been about finding solace as a victim, it has been about finding strength to help our communities overcome. A conversation about sexual violence has been started, and we are all looking towards the solution.

These celebrities have helped bring light to the fact that regular people are also experiencing these things. They are sharing stories and offering anecdotes about how things could have been handled differently. The stories are challenging the norms of what some people have believed to be acceptable behavior. For instance, you may have had your friends make sexually charged jokes at your expense. You may have felt that you could not speak up because of fear of being socially shunned. These stories coming out are giving all us more room to speak up because we see that so many people are speaking up. When someone is saying something sexual about you or your friend, stand up and say, “That is not cool.“ or  “Jokes like that aren’t funny. Stop being mean.”

The #MeToo movement is about finding solidarity but also about change.  In New Mexico, every person is valued equally. Every life matters and the quality of your life is something we all work together to protect.  Speaking out to help change behavior is the first step towards changing this dynamic.