Men Are Tweeting #HowIWillChange in Response to Viral #MeToo Social Media Campaign

"Guys, it's our turn."
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Klaus Vedfelt/Getty Images; mrbenjaminlaw/Twitter

Over the weekend, actress Alyssa Milano started the hashtag #MeToo as a social media movement to inspire survivors of sexual harassment and assault to speak out about their experiences. "If you've been sexually harassed or assaulted write 'me too' as a reply to this tweet," she penned on Twitter. "Suggested by a friend: 'If all the women who have been sexually harassed or assaulted wrote 'Me too.' as a status, we might give people a sense of the magnitude of the problem.'" Since then, hundreds of thousands of survivors of all genders have taken to their own social media profiles to show just how pervasive the issue truly is, including celebrities like Evan Rachel Wood, Lady Gaga, and Gabrielle Union.

Although the response to the hashtag was overwhelmingly supportive, the #MeToo movement has also received criticism for seeming to place the onus on survivors to speak out against sexual harassment and assault. "You know what #metoo hashtag I'd like to see? one where men take responsibility for how they've contributed to this culture," tweeted Dr. Kate Slater, an assistant professor at Rowan University's English Department. And Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt writer Azie Dungey wrote, ". #metoo is important, but I'd like to see #ididit trend. I want to hear from men who have learned/changed/grown & how they got there." Instead of requiring survivors to speak out to make a change, people like Kate and Azie wanted a social media campaign that forced men to take accountability for their contributions to a culture that allows rampant sexual harassment and assault.

And now, some men have done just that. On Monday, writer Benjamin Law decided it wasn't enough for survivors to have to share experiences in order to effect change. "Guys, it's our turn," he tweeted. "After yesterday's endless #MeToo stories of women being abused, assaulted and harassed, today we say #HowIWillChange."

Benjamin himself began by tweeting a list of suggestions for how men can dismantle rape culture. His recommendations included donating to women's shelters, reporting known sexual assailants, and recognizing that you can be complicit in sexual harassment and assault without being a perpetrator yourself.

Benjamin's hashtag has since gathered over 1,500 retweets and 4,000 likes. Men began posting in response to his original tweet and on their own profiles about things they will do to fight back against sexual harassment and assault.

"In a meeting, producer made sexist comment, so stunned didn't call him out. Will speak up next time #HowIWillChange," wrote screenwriter Blake Ayshford.

"Always remember the standard I walk past is the standard I accept. I'm not going to walk past. #HowIWillChange" was writer Justin Woolley's pledge.

And user @CJayFla promised to call out friends who might be contributing to the problem. "#HowIWillChange: shut down sexist activity around my circle of contacts that I see. Move away if I have to. No judging, just consequences," he tweeted.

As commendable as men like Benjamin are for choosing to make a stand, it's also important to remember that men are also survivors of sexual harassment and assault. According to the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network, men make up 10% of victims of rape, and a third of American men have experienced a rape or an attempted rape. Furthermore, more than 1 in 10 sexual harassment claims are filed by men in the workplace, according to a study done in 2015. Nevertheless, men are overwhelmingly the perpetrators of sexual assault on victims of all genders, according to the Michigan Resource Center on Domestic and Sexual Violence, and the change has to start with men stepping in and speaking out.

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If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, you can seek help by calling the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 800-656-HOPE (4673). For more resources on sexual assault, visit RAINN, End Rape on Campus, Know Your IX, and the National Sexual Violence Resource Center.

Related: This Is Why Evan Rachel Wood Didn't Name Her Alleged Rapists