US female lawmakers plan sexual harassment protest at Trump speech
A group of female US Democratic lawmakers are planning to wear black to President Donald Trump’s first State of the Union address, in solidarity with movements protesting sexual harassment in the workplace.
Republican Jackie Speier, a member of the US House of Representatives, confirmed to the HuffPost on Tuesday that she was planning to take part in the action, after NBC News first reported the lawmakers’ plan on Twitter.
“This is a culture change that is sweeping the country, and Congress is embracing it,” Speier, who launched #MeTooCongress hashtag in response to a social media movement against sexual harassment.
The congresswoman said she and other members of the Democratic Women’s Working Group are inviting men and women across the political spectrum to join them in making a statement at the January 30 State of the Union address, echoing a similar statement of Golden Globes Awards.
Dozens of actresses and several men dressed in black for the Golden Globe Awards on Sunday in Beverly Hills, California, in a statement of solidarity with victims of sexual misconduct as part of the #MeToo and #TimesUp movements.
A number of female politicians, including Speier, have come forward with their own stories of abuse while continually calling for accountability among elected officials as allegations against male politicians and candidates, including former Senator Al Franken and Alabama Senate candidate Roy Moore, emerged in the final months of 2017.
The United States is grappling with a growing number of sexual assaults in the worlds of politics, news and Hollywood.
Amid the outcry against sexual harassment in Hollywood, sparked by revelations about producer Harvey Weinstein, the US president has also faced resignation calls over a number of sex allegations. More than a dozen women have accused him of sexually harassing them before being elected as the president.
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