MeToo works for Lane women, too

For anyone who's missed it, people (predominantly women) who are victims of sexual assault or harassment are now being encouraged to share the hashtag #MeToo on Twitter or Facebook to demonstrate how widespread these crimes actually are. Within 48 hours of her call to action, the hashtag had been tweeted out almost 1 million times and soon spread to platforms such as Facebook and Instagram.

We live in a culture that has normalized domination and abuse for so long that it is hard to tell whether these now-common revelations signal a cultural shift in attitudes toward women, or just the power of the internet and tucked-away "Access Hollywood" tapes to bring formerly hidden secrets out into the open. The group also has found that almost three-quarters of all rape victims are assaulted by someone they know, and that more than 1 in 10 women are raped on college campuses each year, with sexual violence leading other types of crimes on campuses. Over and over we see powerful men in government (Anthony Weiner), pop culture (Bill Cosby), sports (Kobe Bryant) and elsewhere accused of abusing their power to step on women.

Men who want to end the abuse their gender heaps on women need not ask us what to do or how to do it. Upon hearing the "jokes", she remarked that if the word "women" were to be replaced with the "n-word", the skit would not have been tolerated.

In general, being ignored, disregarded or openly ridiculed in professional settings, along with unequal pay and promotion, we file under sexual discrimination.

The letter goes on to make a number of demands relating to sexual harassment policies, which include amending the Animation Guild's constitution to enforce policies that "censure, fine, suspend or expel" members "found guilty of any act, omission, or conduct which is prejudicial to the welfare of the guild".

Even in a culture that does not, by and large, trust women, these numbers put a dent in our denial.

It is not my responsibility to say "it happened to me" because someone else refuses to say "I did it to you".

"Hollywood big shot director with Napoleon complex gave me GHB (the "date rape" drug) and raped me unconscious".

"I think that women of color use social media to make our voices heard with or without the amplification of White women", Burke said.

It was a snow day, and I had gone for a walk. He laughed as I struggled, holding me down long enough to realize I wouldn't be able to get up - until he let me.

"Me Too" has evolved to become a media campaign in showing how widespread and rampant sexual harassment is in women.

I didn't assault you, but I could have. You can say, 'I believe you. After all, "internal advisors are there to protect the company", she says. When the public relations manager introduced me to the CEO, he was openly hostile.

It is mortifying to retell dirty sordid details in public, as it makes the victim feel like she's reliving her ordeal all over again.

Cases such as Carlson's - Ailes kept pushing her for sex so that she would "be good and better" - were more clear-cut than mine.

I was literally frozen with shock and fury.

Every mental adjustment is aimed at surviving the moment: Maintaining composure, appearing confident and competent, unflustered, as if the action never happened, letting the perpetrator off the hook. "Like, that's awesome. But why isn't anybody apologizing?' Like, isn't it time for men to take a little bit of ownership here and just kind of say, 'I'm sorry"?" Anything I said or did would be a reflection on my employer.

But perhaps worst of all is the feeling I can't shake of wanting him to continue to think well of me.

Where do I file that?

This issue became personal to me when someone close to me was the victim of a sexual assault. As they created a heroic idea of who I was, I wanted to tell them that I had no idea who I was.

If the response from men was the only thing at stake here, I'd be tempted to agree with this assessment wholeheartedly (especially when the men who do speak out are nauseatingly bombarded with accolades and gratitude, even as the women who've prompted their momentary awakening are further abused and ridiculed).