Tarana Burke, the civil rights activist who coined the term 'MeToo' way back in 2006 is now saying that the movement is "unrecognisable" to her and it has become framed as a witch-hunt from the media backlash to it.
Speaking at the TEDWomen conference, Burke said: "Suddenly, a movement to centre survivors of sexual violence is being talked about as a vindictive plot against men. Survivors are being hurt and vilified".
I was so scared to do this @TEDTalks at this year’s @TEDWomen but now that it’s over I can’t wait to share it. Grateful for my sister @aijenpoo being present and her amazing talk as well! @MeTooMVMT pic.twitter.com/SqEyO4XujR
— Tarana (@TaranaBurke) November 29, 2018
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Burke started 'MeToo' as a means of putting together an action plan to combat the threat of sexual violence in her community, but it gathered overnight fame in 2017 with Alyssa Milano's tweet, which subsequently spread around many parts of the world.
But Burke says the movement is beginning to neglect the very people she started it to protect. "This is a movement about the one in four girls and the one in six boys who are sexually abused every year, and who carry those wounds into adulthood", she said at the conference.
Citing the Brett Kavanaugh episode, Burke said that American politicians seem to be pivoting away from the issue, adding that some days, she wakes up and thinks to herself that 'MeToo' has become contrary to the watershed moment many have proclaimed it to be.
