Raleigh woman behind #MeAt14 social media movement

Andrea Blanford Image
Monday, November 13, 2017
Raleigh woman behind MeAt14 social media movement
A Raleigh attorney is behind the #MeAt14 social media movement that's taking over your Twitter feed.

RALEIGH (WTVD) -- A Raleigh attorney is behind the #MeAt14 social media movement that's taking over your Twitter feed.

Catherine Lawson said she was outraged after reading the sexual misconduct allegations against Alabama GOP Senate nominee Roy Moore.

Moore is accused of having sexual contact with a 14-year-old girl in 1979 when he was a 32-year-old assistant district attorney.

The Washington Post first reported the accusations against Moore, adding that he also pursued relationships with three other teenage girls when he was in his 30s.

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Lawson found an old photo of herself from her early teenage years and shared it, using the #MeAt14 to show why laws are in place to protect children and to tell victims of sexual abuse they're not alone and not to blame.

"It's not you," Lawson said. "This wasn't your fault. You were preyed on. You didn't have the tools to defend yourself or to process what was happening."

Celebrities like Alyssa Milano have joined the movement, sharing old photos, and using the hashtag.

Lawson, a registered Republican, said when she saw people on Twitter and GOP leaders in Alabama trying to downplay the allegations, she couldn't stay silent.

"That was the response that bothered me, the notion that there are certain values that we're willing to trade in order to affirm a political affiliation," she said.

RELATED: Trump says needs to get back to U.S. 'to see what's happening' with Roy Moore

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