In Case You Missed It: Why You Should Care About #YesAllWomen

May 28, 2014

May 28, 2014 – On Twitter over the weekend an amazing thing happened: in response to a hate-fueled crime perpetrated by a young man in Southern California, women and men began sharing the ways that they experienced sexism and violence using the hashtag #YesAllWomen.

The hashtag, which has been used nearly 1.9 million times since Friday on Twitter alone, is a powerful tool to give voice to women’s experiences. It also responds to the defensive #NotAllMen hashtag, agreeing that while “not all men” commit acts of violence against women, all women do encounter sexism and the threat of gender-based violence.

The National Network to End Domestic Violence (NNEDV) applauds the courage of those using social media to tell the truth about their lives – busting myths and promoting solidarity in the process.

“The extraordinary response to #YesAllWomen reveals the countless ways that women fear violence against them, and the ways that the ever-present possibility of violence can constrict their lives and their options,” said Kim Gandy, NNEDV President and CEO. “To fight this limiting common-denominator in women’s lives, we encourage ALL women and ALL men to join us in the fight to end gender-based violence.”

Social media tools (like Twitter and the #YesAllWomen hashtag) have given survivors a powerful way to connect with each other and share their stories, when it is safe to do so.

Read some of the most popular #YesAllWomen tweets, as curated by Time, CNN, and Vox; see what people have been saying lately for #YesAllWomen and add your voice on Twitter; and learn more about using technology safely from NNEDV’s Safety Net project.