With One Hashtag, Star Opens Flood of Sexual Abuse Stories

As new accusations continue to emerge in the Harvey Weinstein scandal, a celebrity-driven hashtag has started a wave of people who are sharing their personal experiences with sexual abuse and harassment, Mashable reports. On Sunday afternoon, Alyssa Milano tweeted: "If you've been sexually harassed or assaulted write 'me too' as a reply to this tweet." This quickly led to the #MeToo hashtag and a tsunami of posts that simply read "Me too" on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, as well as detailed stories from those who felt comfortable sharing more—all messages the Washington Post notes "were striking in their simplicity, and in the sheer number of them."

Included among the "tens of thousands" the New York Times says reacted to Milano's message were other names from show biz, including Debra Messing, Anna Paquin, and Javier Munoz, from Broadway's Hamilton. "I don't know if [it] means anything coming from a gay man but it's happened. Multiple times," Munoz tweeted. CNN notes that Milano co-starred on Charmed with Rose McGowan, one of Weinstein's most vocal accusers. Milano also penned an essay last week about Weinstein on her Patriot Not Partisan website, noting she's friends with Weinstein's wife, Georgina Chapman, and that even though she's "sickened and angered" by the specific allegations against him, "we must change things in general. We must do better for women everywhere." (More sexual assault stories.)