#WomenBoycottTwitter: why women are falling silent today
True Blood star Anna Paquin and actor Mark Ruffalo among those protesting Harvey Weinstein accuser Rose McGowan's suspension
If your Twitter feed is looking a little empty this morning, it’s because hundreds of high-profile female tweeters are participating in a day-long boycott of the platform after Rose McGowan, one of Harvey Weinstein’s most vocal accusers, had her account suspended.
McGowan’s Twitter account, which she had been using to corroborate and amplify the stream of sexual harassment allegations involving the Hollywood producer, was locked for 12 hours on Wednesday for an unspecified violation of Twitter’s terms of services.
The Guardian’s Hannah Jane Parkinson said McGowan’s suspension was “hugely over the top and counterproductive” given that “private messaging someone racist epithets or open neo-Nazi calls to war” are regularly allowed to go unpunished.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Activists and A-listers are among those now using the #WomenBoycottTwitter hashtag to call on women to avoid the social media platform on Friday 13 October, in protest both of the site’s behaviour and a wider culture that silences victims of sexual abuse.
The idea was first suggested by feminist activist Kelly Ellis, who made in headlines in 2015 with a series of tweets recounting sexism she had faced as a software engineer at Google:
The hashtag rapidly spread across Twitter as more and more women pledged to take part:
Celebrities have also thrown their weight behind the protest. Alyssa Milano, best known for her role in TV series Charmed, was one of the first famous faces to pledge their support:
She was joined by other famous women including True Blood star Anna Paquin and film director Ava DuVernay:
Model and prolific tweeter Chrissy Teigen threatened to quit the site entirely:
Actor Mark Ruffalo, TV showrunner Joss Whedon and Westworld star Jeffrey Wright were among the high-profile men expressing solidarity with the boycott:
The 24 hours of silent protest are taking place from midnight Friday to midnight on Saturday, adjusted across timezones.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
Today's political cartoons - December 22, 2024
Cartoons Sunday's cartoons - the long and short of it, trigger finger, and more
By The Week US Published
-
5 hilariously spirited cartoons about the spirit of Christmas
Cartoons Artists take on excuses, pardons, and more
By The Week US Published
-
Inside the house of Assad
The Explainer Bashar al-Assad and his father, Hafez, ruled Syria for more than half a century but how did one family achieve and maintain power?
By The Week UK Published
-
Why Assad fell so fast
The Explainer The newly liberated Syria is in an incredibly precarious position, but it's too soon to succumb to defeatist gloom
By The Week UK Published
-
Romania's election rerun
The Explainer Shock result of presidential election has been annulled following allegations of Russian interference
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published
-
Russia's shadow war in Europe
Talking Point Steering clear of open conflict, Moscow is slowly ratcheting up the pressure on Nato rivals to see what it can get away with.
By The Week UK Published
-
Cutting cables: the war being waged under the sea
In the Spotlight Two undersea cables were cut in the Baltic sea, sparking concern for the global network
By The Week UK Published
-
The nuclear threat: is Vladimir Putin bluffing?
Talking Point Kremlin's newest ballistic missile has some worried for Nato nations
By The Week UK Published
-
Russia vows retaliation for Ukrainian missile strikes
Speed Read Ukraine's forces have been using U.S.-supplied, long-range ATCMS missiles to hit Russia
By Arion McNicoll, The Week UK Published
-
Has the Taliban banned women from speaking?
Today's Big Question 'Rambling' message about 'bizarre' restriction joins series of recent decrees that amount to silencing of Afghanistan's women
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Cuba's energy crisis
The Explainer Already beset by a host of issues, the island nation is struggling with nationwide blackouts
By Rebekah Evans, The Week UK Published