Yahoo News #ChurchToo tweets are trending, because sexual abuse also occurs in religious settings
Sexual misconduct allegations against producer Harvey Weinstein spurred an uprooting of perpetrators of sexual harassment in Hollywood. In the midst of it all, women on social media shared their own experiences using the hashtag #MeToo. Now, the hashtag #ChurchToo is trending as Twitter users share stories of sexual misconduct that have happened within places of worship.
According to one Twitter user, #ChurchToo was started on November 21st by two women — writer and trauma researcher Hannah Paasch and spoken word poet Emily Joy.
Joy tweeted out a thread detailing her experience with a “youth leader” in her evangelical megachurch. What started as an innocent mentor-mentee relationship snowballed into something extremely inappropriate. Joy noted that she was inspired to share her story after reading Twitter user Audrey Assad’s thread about a similar situation that happened to her.
Sexual abuse allegations surrounding higher-ups in churches are nothing new. For example, the 2015 film Spotlight tells the true story of Boston Globe journalists investigating the numerous sexual misconduct allegations made against a Boston priest. And Netflix’s The Keepers delves into Baltimore’s history of sexual abuse scandals and coverups in a local Catholic high school.
We hope that as #ChurchToo continues to gain momentum, something will finally be done about the secretive goings-on within churches across America.
(Warning: some of the below tweets contain triggering content.)
This is my #churchtoo story. This happened BECAUSE of the theology of my faith community, not in spite of it. https://t.co/gF6CqKCvFp
— Emily Joy
(@emilyjoypoetry) November 22, 2017
When I was sixteen and being groomed by a 40 year old man at my church (and he was my employer at the time) I had somewhat of a crush on him. It didn't change the nature of what was really happening—ABUSE, perpetrated by a person in a powerful position.
— Audrey Assad (@audreyassad) November 11, 2017
As @emilyjoypoetry puts it, a day of reckoning is coming for the church, as it is with Washington & Hollywood. Share your story on #churchtoo.
— Garbage Oprah (@hannahpaasch) November 21, 2017
#churchtoo: when I was told that I shouldn't have gone over to his house by myself. Not that they were sorry. Not that his role would be changed. Just that I shouldn't have gone over there alone (wearing a dress) because it caused him to be "overcome by lust"
— hannah (@hannahelisabeth) November 21, 2017
When I was in college, a male Sunday school teacher taught my class that "rape wouldn't exist if women just learned to say yes more often."
This sentence plays in my head every single day. #churchtoo— jessie george (@jessieigeorge14) November 22, 2017
I CANNOT COUNT the number of times I’ve heard guys in church PUBLICLY admit to molestation, harassment, assault, etc, only to be praised for their bravery & honesty. No consequences. The church’s legacy of protecting abusers is sickening. #churchtoo
— Rosemary Johnson (@yellowinmysoul) November 21, 2017
Men in the church told me my clothing determined the level of respect I deserve.
They groped & touched me for a literal decade.#churchtoo— netflix&shrill (@andeemoriah) November 21, 2017
#Churchtoo. Because when my moms fiancé groomed me for two years, they were busy shaming me for my (quite conservative) clothes.
Because I hid from them that he finally assaulted/raped me (at 18).
Because I knew they’d say I was immodest and impure. 1/2— Kat Stephanis (@ififorget) November 21, 2017
At a friend’s youth group, in response to a talk on purity and modesty, l went with tears in my eyes to a female volunteer. l shared that l had been raped and felt shame about not being pure. She responded by asking if l had repented of my role in what happened. #churchtoo
— Shannon Dingle (@ShannonDingle) November 21, 2017
Supporters of the #ChurchToo movement are using the tag to call for widespread change.
Christians, scroll through the #churchtoo hashtag. Weep with your brothers and sisters who have been hurt in what *should* be the safest place on earth. Then, do better and demand better.
— Thomas Horrocks (@thomaslhorrocks) November 22, 2017
If I can ask anything of Christian Twitter today, it's that the #ChurchToo tweets be received rather than reacted to. Do not concern yourselves with the intent of those sharing their stories, but with the steps *you* can take to ensure the horrors done to them are not repeated.
— Abby Perry (@abbyjperry) November 21, 2017
Announce their names. Drag them. Hold them accountable. Empty the pews.
Lord, have mercy. Christ, have mercy.
This is our act of worship.
This is our liturgy.#churchtoo— Rosemary Johnson (@yellowinmysoul) November 21, 2017
We are again reminded that Hollywood is not the only community plagued by sexual abuse and harassment.
Thank you to those who have come forward about your experiences. It’s not an easy thing to do, but in order to make a change, sharing these stories is incredibly important.
