On Friday, female celebrities across the country joined together in a boycott of Twitter, aptly named #WomenBoycottTwitter, to stand in solidarity against the harassment of women, a hot-button topic in the wake of disgraced producer Harvey Weinstein's now-outed history of sexual abuse in Hollywood.
For example:
#WomenBoycottTwitter Friday, October 13th. In solidarity w @rosemcgowan and all the victims of hate and harassment Twitter fails to support. https://t.co/G0my9EyKpQ
— Kelly Ellis (@justkelly_ok) October 12, 2017
However, as no good deed started by a white person can go unpunished, the boycott has been met with resistance from people who claim it’s racist because it was ruled by white actress Rose McGowan’s suspension from Twitter.
A competing trending hashtag, called #WOCAffirmation (women of color), was started by activist April Reign in response to the fact that the women boycotting Twitter are largely white:
What I would like to do is amplify the WOC #OnHere who are doing the work. I don't know if that is threads or convos or businesses or what.
— April (@ReignOfApril) October 13, 2017
Calling white women allies to recognize conflict of #WomenBoycottTwitter for women of color who haven't received support on similar issues.
— Ava DuVernay (@ava) October 13, 2017
Now people want to boycott twitter? Always interesting where and for whom people draw the line.
— roxane gay (@rgay) October 13, 2017
In a piece called, “Where Is the Twitter Boycott for Women of Colour?” Vice writer Amil Niazi asserts, “Solidarity seems to have a very narrow definition when it comes to white feminism.”
Yes it's bullshit that Rose McGowan was temporarily and arbitrarily suspended yesterday for publishing a private phone number in one of her tweets. Not because doxxing isn't wrong but because Twitter's "rules" seem very specifically and conveniently applied. And I am happy to stand in support of her. But while #WhiteWomenBoycottTwitter, I ask, when will you stand in support of us?
Mic’s take on the situation, “#WomenBoycottTwitter is another example of the disconnect between white feminists and women of color” by Natelegé Whaley, claims that white people have had the opportunity to stand up for Leslie Jones and Kemele Hill, but decided to support a fellow white woman instead:
Although news about Weinstein’s alleged harassment should be exposed, it is still unnerving that this level of outrage is often only reserved for white women when they are victims of misogyny and sexual harassment. From the racist trolls that attacked Leslie Jones to Jemele Hill’s current dilemma, there have been several opportunities for white feminists to show their solidarity with black women yet far too often they decide that silence is their method of resistance.
So there you have it. Solidarity with women only matters if they have the same skin color as you, and as long as it’s the right skin color.
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