A man on a city bus who touched her inappropriately, then smiled.
In the video obtained by The Washington Post Friday, the Republican presidential nominee is heard making vulgar comments about women in a 2005 conversation with host Billy Bush, then-host of "Access Hollywood." Their conversation was caught on a hot microphone and included Trump's sentiments that he could kiss and touch women freely because he was "a star."
“Grab them by the p---y,” Trump says in the recording. “You can do anything.”
When news of the leaked video broke Friday, it unleashed a deluge of criticism — from condemnation by private citizens to backlash from politicians on both sides — as well as a flurry of responses from Trump surrogates who defended him. In a long campaign that has been filled with falsehoods and shocking statements, this revelation crossed the line, some said, because what Trump seemed to condone was nothing short of sexual assault.
In an initial statement Friday afternoon, Trump defended his comments as "locker-room banter." Around midnight, he issued a more direct apology.
However, in the hours in between, the controversy around Trump's tape activated a large and vocal group of critics online: victims of sexual assault.
Starting Friday afternoon, thousands of people shared personal stories on social media of being sexually assaulted, many using the hashtag #NotOkay. For many hours, #NotOkay was a trending topic on Twitter in the United States. A day later, the hashtag continued going strong.
The outpouring seems to have started after several prominent Twitter users posted about the potential consequences of brushing off Trump's comments. Doing so, they said, would normalize and enable "rape culture." And, they argued, this kind of behavior was more commonplace than some might think.
"If you don't think this will affect female [voter] turn out and crossover, perhaps you should ask a woman to recount all the times she was groped," tweeted Clara Jeffrey, editor-in-chief of Mother Jones.
If you don't think this will affect female turn out and crossover, perhaps you should ask a woman to recount all the times she was groped.
— Clara Jeffery (@ClaraJeffery) October 7, 2016
"I was so young (8?) that I didn't understand what happened for two decades," one woman replied to Jeffrey. Hundreds of others did the same.
Kelly Oxford, a Canadian writer and social media personality, tweeted about her first sexual assault shortly after Trump's news broke Friday, then encouraged other women to follow suit.
"Women: tweet me your first assaults. they aren't just stats," Oxford posted. "I'll go first: Old man on city bus grabs my 'p---y' and smiles at me, I'm 12."
What followed, Oxford said, was more than a million women sharing their stories "at" her for at least 14 consecutive hours. She estimated she was receiving 50 stories per minute at one point, and called them "harrowing."
"13, male classmate flips my skirt up & I scream & slug him," one woman shared. "Mr. Teacher tells me it's not ok to make up stories about these things. #notokay"
"When you're afraid to look directly at any man because you're scared he might assault you," tweeted another. "This is rape culture, know that it's #notokay"
The Washington Post typically does not identify victims of sexual violence; we have linked to the examples above because they were posted publicly on social media and widely shared.
As the number of stories mushroomed, Oxford created a list where people could more easily see those who had responded directly to her with their sexual assault experiences.
Though the overwhelming majority of responses seemed to be from women, a few tweeted in support of male victims of rape and sexual assault as well.
"not only is victim shaming of women #notokay but treating male victims of sexual assault as if they're weak is also repulsing," one person tweeted.
Hundreds of others used the #NotOkay hashtag to offer general support to victims of sexual assault and urge others to change the culture.
Essential reading for anyone, everyone, me. Click, read and ask yourself -particularly as a man- how can I be part of the solution? #NotOkay https://t.co/x1Kaxydfsr
— Jason Isaacs (@jasonsfolly) October 8, 2016
Though reports of sexual violence in the U.S. have fallen by more than half since 1993, an American is sexually assaulted every two minutes, according to statistics from the Rape Abuse Incest National Network, a nonprofit that advocates for survivors of sex crimes.
About one of every six women in the U.S. — and about one in 33 men — has been the victim of an attempted or completed rape in her lifetime, the group said.
"Recovering from sexual assault or abuse is a process, and that process looks different for everyone," a statement on the RAINN website reads. "It may take weeks, months, or years: there’s no timetable for healing."
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