#ChurchToo: Twitter Users Describe Sexual Abuse at Church

November 22, 2017 1:34 AM EST

The explosive #MeToo social media campaign to raise awareness of sexual harassment and violence has spread to the religious community in the form of #ChurchToo. Launched by Twitter users Hannah Paasch and Emily Joy, #ChurchToo prompted users to share stories of sexual abuse in church settings.

Actress Alyssa Milano launched the #MeToo movement in the wake of the Harvey Weinstein scandal to encourage women to break their silence and speak out against sexual harassment. The hashtag quickly took off, reaching more than 85 countries and tweeted more than 1.7 million times.

Now that same rallying cry is reverberating within the church:

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, M.A.Ed. (@ShannonDingle) November 21, 2017

Following the #churchtoo hash with interest. Many #metoo stories at the hands of the church. And me? I was made to sign a purity contract at age 11. And witnessed a man confess from the pulpit having sex w/a child. Praised for his bravery. No further action.
— ⚡️ Elizabeth Halford (@thebrandshe) November 21, 2017

Let’s not forget to call out the people who didn’t believe us when we told them our stories, the pastors, parents, teachers, who left us hurting & alone. You are responsible too. #churchtoo
— Casey 🐢 (@ccurrin93) November 21, 2017

The church/purity culture is the reason why I didn't know a guy at my Christian college had harassed and assaulted me until years after it happened. None of my college friends know because I'm afraid of retaliation and judgement. #churchtoo
— Charlotte. (@charlotteirene8) November 21, 2017

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