I Am Finally Brave Enough to Share My Own ‘Me Too’ Stories

You have probably noticed friends posting Tweets or status updates with the phrase "me too" if you've been on social media this week. Are you wondering why?

We've all seen the news about major creep Harvey Weinstein. He's been accused of sexually harassing or assaulting countless women, and while his actions are truly disgusting, it's important to note that that this kind of behavior doesn't just happen in Hollywood. It happens all the time-- to women and men from all walks of life

It's heartbreaking to see how many of my friends have posted their own "me too" stories. I saw a hundred stories yesterday alone, and it encouraged me to share my own.

I simply posted "me too" on Facebook, because I didn't feel brave enough to speak out with the details of things I have dealt with on my few years on this planet; however, I will share a few reasons why I made that post now.

It was a restaurant manager at my first waitress job who said disgusting things to me when he called me to his office under the premise of a "performance review." It was the man who grabbed and groped me when I was walking in downtown Austin by myself after a concert. It was every creep who tried to slide into my inbox with disgusting pictures.

It was the time I was raped in college. It was being too afraid to speak up or press charges because I knew people would blame me because I met the guy in a bar.

It's having so many other stories that I have neither the time nor the energy to type them all out.

It's going through these things and yet still considering myself to be lucky. I have friends who have endured terrible abuse, and my heart aches when I read their stories. "Me too" may seem like a silly little hashtag, but it is so much more. I hope that seeing these posts will encourage people to think about the way they treat others--if just one less person has to deal with assault or harassment, I'd consider the "Me Too" movement to be a success.