HimToo movement

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The correct title of this article is #HimToo movement. The omission of the # is due to technical restrictions.

#HimToo is a social movement supporting male victims of sexual assault and false rape allegations, though the latter has been criticized as perpetuating myths about the prevalence of false reports. The reaction to the #MeToo movement started in October 2018 after a tweet from a mother about her son being afraid to date because of a climate of false rape allegations. It rose to greater prominence during the Brett Kavanaugh Supreme Court nomination. The #HimToo movement was a response to the sexual assault allegations from the #MeToo movement.

Contents

History

The meaning of the #HimToo hashtag has constantly changed throughout the course of its existence. When it was first used before 2015, #HimToo had no political meaning attached to it. It was simply an acknowledgement to the participation or presence of a male in an activity. [1] [2]

#HimToo first began to carry a political connotation in 2016, although it was still not used for issues regarding rape allegations or gender related issues. Instead, it was a way of showing support for Senator Tim Kaine of Virginia, Hillary Clinton's running-mate in the 2016 United States presidential election. [2] [3] During that time period, the hashtag #ImWithHer referred to Clinton, while #HimToo was connected to Kaine. [2] [3] Eventually, Donald Trump's supporters used the same hashtag #HimToo to criticize Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama, using #LockHerUp followed by #HimToo. [2] [3]

In 2017, #HimToo was used to bring attention to call attention to the existence of male sexual assault survivors. [4]

Brett Kavanaugh and Christine Blasey Ford testify before the Senate Judiciary Committee (video from Voice of America)

#HimToo became connected with rape allegations following the emergence of the #MeToo movement when a mother in the United States tweeted about her son with the #HimToo hashtag. She claimed that her son, Pieter Hanson, was afraid to go on dates because of false rape allegations. Hanson himself disavowed his mother's tweet, saying that he does not avoid dating for fear of being falsely accused of sexual misconduct, he never has and never will support #HimToo, and that he supports the #MeToo movement. [5] However, the hashtag became increasingly popular for criticizing rape allegations, especially after actress Asia Argento, one of the major leaders of the #MeToo movement, was accused of sexually assaulting actor Jimmy Bennett when he was a minor and paying him $380,000 as part of a nondisclosure settlement. [2] [3]

During the Brett Kavanaugh hearings, the #HimToo hashtag was re-popularized in his defense. [2] People used the #HimToo hashtag to express support for Kavanaugh and to criticize women who allegedly gave false rape accusations. [1] [2] [3] The hashtag then evolved and became more generally used to defend men against false rape accusations. [2] [6] #HimToo became the antithesis to #MeToo as a call for fairness towards men during sexual assault hearings by asserting that men should not be implied as guilty before sexual assault hearings begin. [6]

#HimToo rally

On November 17, 2018, a rally supporting the #HimToo movement hosted by Patriot Prayer member Haley Adams was held in downtown Portland, Oregon. [7] According to Adams, she and about 40 others gathered to show support for men who were victims of false rape allegations, which they blamed on the #MeToo movement. [8] The speakers shared stories of false rape accusations and spoke about other points regarding men's rights. Joey Gibson, the leader of the Patriot Prayer movement, spoke at the #HimToo rally. Many of the rally's attendees and speakers were associated with Gibson and the Patriot Prayer group. [9]

A counter-protest attended by 350 people was held nearby to express their support for victims of sexual assault in light of the #MeToo movement under a banner saying "Survivors are Everywhere". Among the attendees were various different left wing groups including Antifa dressed in "black bloc" outfits, members of the Portland Democratic Socialists of America (DSA), and the group Popular Mobilizations which led a counter-protest rally called #SupportersAreEverywhere. [10]

After the rally, a larger number of counter-protesters chased the protestors. The counter-protesters allegedly started using pepper spray and fireworks, as well as tossing bottles, flares, silly string, and smoke bombs. The police formed a protective wall around the protesters who were left. The opposing rallies ended in six arrests. [11] [12]

Alternative views

Although the #HimToo movement remains largely associated with highlighting the false rape allegations that men have faced, some argue the movement has been used in other ways. During the rise of the #MeToo movement, the #HimToo reclaimed a 2017 meaning of supporting men who have been victims of sexual harassment and violence themselves. [13]

Criticism

The #HimToo movement was criticized for perpetuating myths about false rape allegations. Analysis by Vox found that 0.005% of American men are falsely accused each year, while a 2018 survey found that 81% of women and 43% of men faced sexual harassment and assault. [14] Women in particular struggle with the myth of #HimToo, as rapes are under-reported and often face disbelief or blame for the assaults. The FBI reports that 8% of rapes are determined to be unfounded, while other studies put the figure as low as 2%. [15] A Netflix documentary, Victim/Suspect (2023), covered the practice of police turning victims into suspects of false allegations. [16] [17] A 2019 Netflix limited series, Unbelievable, was based on a case in which a victim of serial rapist Marc O'Leary was accused of making a false report and coerced into recanting her report by Lynnwood, Washington police. [18] She was awarded $150,000 in a lawsuit against the police department. [19] In 2024, American Nightmare, a docuseries on Netflix covered the Vallejo, California police department's accusation against a kidnapping and rape victim of perpetrating a hoax; she had been victimized by Matthew Muller. [20]

Critics also claim that the #HimToo movement discourages men who do deal with sexual abuse from coming forward because #HimToo reinforces a gendered dichotomy where men are the accused and women are the accusers. They state that the #HimToo movement discredits the idea that men can be sexually assaulted as well, and casts doubt that those who come forward can be believed. [14]

See also

Related Research Articles

Rape is a type of sexual assault involving sexual intercourse or other forms of sexual penetration carried out against a person without their consent. The act may be carried out by physical force, coercion, abuse of authority, or against a person who is incapable of giving valid consent, such as one who is unconscious, incapacitated, has an intellectual disability, or is below the legal age of consent. The term rape is sometimes used interchangeably with the term sexual assault.

A false accusation of rape happens when a person states that they or another person have been raped when no rape has occurred.

Campus sexual assault is the sexual assault, including rape, of a student while attending an institution of higher learning, such as a college or university. The victims of such assaults are more likely to be female, but any gender can be victimized. Estimates of sexual assault, which vary based on definitions and methodology, generally find that somewhere between 19–27% of college women and 6–8% of college men are sexually assaulted during their time in college.

Feminist Digital Humanities is a more recent development in the field of Digital Humanities, a project incorporating digital and computational methods as part of its research methodology. Feminist Digital Humanities has risen partly because of recent criticism of the propensity of Digital Humanities to further patriarchal or hegemonic discourses in the Academy. Women are rapidly dominating social media in order to educate people about feminist growth and contributions. Research proves the rapid growth of Feminist Digital Humanities started during the post-feminism era around from the 1980s to 1990s. Such feminists’ works provides examples through the text technology, social conditions of literature and rhetorical analysis. Feminist Digital Humanities aims to identify and explore women's digital contributions as well as articulate where and why these contributions are important.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hashtag activism</span> Use of hashtags for internet activism

Hashtag activism refers to the use of social media hashtags for Internet activism. The hashtag has become one of the many ways that social media contributes to civic engagement and social movements. The use of the hashtag on social media provides users with an opportunity to share information and opinions about social issues in a way that others (followers) can interact and engage as part of a larger conversation with the potential to create change. The hashtag itself consists of a word or phrase that is connected to a social or political issue, and fosters a place where discourse can occur. Social media provides an important platform for historically marginalized populations. Through the use of hashtags these groups are able to communicate, mobilize, and advocate for issues less visible to the mainstream.

Rape myths are prejudicial, stereotyped, and false beliefs about sexual assaults, rapists, and rape victims. They often serve to excuse sexual aggression, create hostility toward victims, and bias criminal prosecution.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Harvey Weinstein sexual abuse cases</span> Criminal and civil cases since 2017

In October 2017, The New York Times and The New Yorker reported that dozens of women had accused the American film producer Harvey Weinstein of rape, sexual assault and sexual abuse over a period of at least 30 years. Over 80 women in the film industry eventually accused Weinstein of such acts. Weinstein himself denied "any non-consensual sex". Shortly after, he was dismissed from The Weinstein Company (TWC), expelled from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and other professional associations, and retired from public view.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">MeToo movement</span> Social movement against sexual abuse and harassment

#MeToo is a social movement and awareness campaign against sexual abuse, sexual harassment and rape culture, in which people publicize their experiences of sexual abuse or sexual harassment. The phrase "Me Too" was initially used in this context on social media in 2006, on Myspace, by sexual assault survivor and activist Tarana Burke. The hashtag #MeToo was used starting in 2017 as a way to draw attention to the magnitude of the problem. "Me Too" empowers those who have been sexually assaulted through empathy, solidarity and strength in numbers, by visibly demonstrating how many have experienced sexual assault and harassment, especially in the workplace.

The Weinstein effect is a phenomenon in which sexual harassment allegations of powerful figures get disclosed.

There have been many reported cases and accusations of sexual abuse in the American film industry reported against people related to the medium of cinema of the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brett Kavanaugh Supreme Court nomination</span> United States Supreme Court nomination

On July 9, 2018, President Donald Trump nominated Brett Kavanaugh for Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States to succeed retiring Justice Anthony Kennedy. When nominated, Kavanaugh was a judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, a position he was appointed to in 2006 by President George W. Bush.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Christine Blasey Ford</span> American professor of psychology (born 1966)

Christine Margaret Blasey Ford is an American professor of psychology at Palo Alto University and a research psychologist at the Stanford University School of Medicine. She specializes in designing statistical models for research projects. During her academic career, Ford has worked as a professor at the Stanford University School of Medicine Collaborative Clinical Psychology Program.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Believe women</span> American political slogan

"Believe women" is an American political slogan arising out of the #MeToo movement. It refers to accepting women's allegations of sexual harassment or sexual assault at face value. The phrase grew in popularity in response to the Brett Kavanaugh Supreme Court nomination.

The Indian#MeToo movement began in late 2018 to manifest in areas of the Indian society including the government, the media, and the Bollywood film industry. In India, the Me Too movement is seen as either an independent outgrowth influenced by the international campaign against sexual harassment of women in the workplace, or an offshoot of the American "Me Too" social movement. Me Too began gaining prominence in India with the increasing popularity of the international movement, and later gathered sharp momentum in October 2018 in the entertainment industry of Bollywood, centered in Mumbai, when actress Tanushree Dutta accused Nana Patekar of sexual harassment. This led to many women in the news media, Indian films, and even within the government to speak out and bring allegations of sexual harassment against a number of perpetrators.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">A Scary Time</span> 2018 feminist protest song

"A Scary Time" is a 2018 feminist protest song and viral video written and performed by Lynzy Lab. It is based on the comment by former United States President Donald Trump that "it's a very scary time for young men in America", which he said amid the sexual assault allegations against his Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh. The song contains a list of situations in which men have harassed, coerced, or sexually assaulted women in the U.S. The list also includes some of the past responses from the American public, media, and legal system to women who have accused men of such acts.

#MenToo is a social movement in India which was started against false sexual harassment allegations in MeToo movement in India. The movement was widely spread out after Bollywood actress Pooja Bedi and Founder of Purush Aayog Barkha Trehan appealed to bring gender neutral laws and investigation, after actor Karan Oberoi was arrested on 5 May 2019 due to a sexual harassment complaint filed against him by his ex-girlfriend.

<i>Catch and Kill</i> 2019 Ronan Farrow book on media complicity in protecting sexual abusers

Catch and Kill: Lies, Spies, and a Conspiracy to Protect Predators is a 2019 book by the American journalist Ronan Farrow. He recounts the challenges he faced chasing the stories of Harvey Weinstein's decades of rape, sexual assault, and sexual abuse of women and the case against him. Farrow argues that Weinstein was able to use Black Cube, a private Israeli intelligence service, to successfully pressure executives at NBC News to kill the story there, leading him to take it to The New Yorker, where it was published and helped spark the international #MeToo movement exposing sexual abuse, mostly of women, in many industries.

The #MeToo movementin Pakistan is modeled after the international #MeToo movement and began in late 2018 in Pakistani society. It has been used as a springboard to stimulate a more inclusive, organic movement, adapted to local settings, and has aimed to reach all sectors, including the lowest rungs of society.

The #MeToo movement emerged in China shortly after it originated in the United States. In mainland China, online MeToo posts were slowed by government censorship. On Weibo, #Metoo and #MetooinChina were both blocked for a period of time. To avoid the censorship, Chinese women using the #MeToo hashtag on social media began using bunny and bowl-of-rice emojis; "rice bunny" is pronounced mi-tu in Chinese. Feminist activist Xiao Qiqi originated the use of rice-bunny emojis for the movement. Another alternative is “River Crab” which indicates censorship. Generally, the #Metoo movement was only accessible to elite women and urban women.

The MeToo movement, an effort to publicize and criticize sexual abuse and harassment, was founded in 2006 by Tarana Burke, and spread virally on social media following the exposure of numerous sexual-abuse allegations against film producer Harvey Weinstein in October 2017. Since then, the #MeToo hashtag has trended in at least 85 countries.

References

  1. 1 2 North, Anna (October 10, 2018). "#HimToo, the online movement spreading myths about false rape allegations, explained". Vox . New York City: Vox Media . Retrieved October 14, 2018.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Ellis, Emma Grey (27 September 2018). "How #HimToo Became the Tagline of the Men's Rights Movement". Wired. ISSN   1059-1028 . Retrieved 3 April 2019.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 "Mother's #HimToo tweet ignites viral meme, and her embarrassed son clarifies". Today. Archived from the original on 11 October 2018. Retrieved 3 April 2019.
  4. ↑ Dejmanee, Tisha; Zaher, Zulfia; Rouech, Samantha; Papa, Michael J. (2020). "#MeToo; #HimToo: Popular Feminism and Hashtag Activism in the Kavanaugh Hearings". International Journal of Communication (14): 18.
  5. ↑ "How a US mom's Him Too tweet about her son backfired hilariously". India Today . Noida, Uttar Pradesh, India: Living Media. 10 October 2018. Retrieved 15 October 2018.
  6. 1 2 Morris, Amanda (11 October 2018). "#HimToo: Left And Right Embrace Opposing Takes On Same Hashtag". NPR. NPR. Retrieved 3 April 2019.
  7. ↑ Dixon Kavanaugh, Shane (2018-11-16). "Dueling demonstrations set for Portland days after protest ordinance fails". The Oregonian. Retrieved 2021-03-10.
  8. ↑ "6 arrested after dueling #MeToo, #HimToo protests in Portland". Statesman Journal. Retrieved 2024-06-16.
  9. ↑ "Portland Police Hear Fiery Testimony After Lieutenant's Texts". opb. Retrieved 2024-06-16.
  10. ↑ Linton, Caroline (November 20, 2018). "Portland police report weapons at demonstrations". CBS News. Retrieved 2021-03-10.
  11. ↑ Casiano, Louis (2018-11-17). "Patriot Prayer rally in Portland, Ore., leads to 6 arrests as groups clash". Fox News. Retrieved 2019-04-03.
  12. ↑ Wilson, Jason (November 18, 2018). "Arrests and clashes as rival right and left rallies descend on Portland again". The Guardian. Retrieved 30 April 2019.
  13. ↑ Morris, Amanda (11 October 2018). "#HimToo: Left and Right Embrace Opposing Takes on Same Hashtag". NPR.
  14. 1 2 North, Anna (2018-10-10). "#HimToo, the online movement spreading myths about false rape allegations, explained". Vox. Retrieved 2019-05-01.
  15. ↑ Kay, Katty (2018-09-18). "The truth about false assault accusations by women" . Retrieved 2024-06-16.
  16. ↑ Michallon, Clémence (2023-05-23). "They tried to report their rapes. Not only were they not believed – they were charged". The Independent. Retrieved 2024-06-16.
  17. ↑ O'Neil, Luke (2018-10-09). "#HimToo: how an attempt to criticize #MeToo went delightfully wrong". The Guardian. ISSN   0261-3077 . Retrieved 2024-06-16.
  18. ↑ Owen, Rob (2020-01-03). "How a Lynnwood rape case inspired a Netflix series adaptation that's up for four Golden Globes". The Seattle Times. Retrieved 2024-06-18.
  19. ↑ Carter, Mike (2014-01-14). "Lynnwood to pay rape victim $150,000 in false-claim suit". The Seattle Times. Retrieved 2024-06-18.
  20. ↑ Sager, Jessica (April 4, 2024). "'American Nightmare': Where Are Denise Huskins and Aaron Quinn Now After the 'Gone Girl Kidnapping'?". People. Retrieved 2024-06-18.
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