Skip to content
Politics
Link copied to clipboard

#MeAt14 Twitter campaign catching on in Philadelphia

Responding to the allegations against Senate candidate Roy Moore, Twitter users are employing the hashtag and posting pictures of their younger selves to say a 14-year-old is too young be able to give consent.

Actress Alyssa Milano posted this photo from when she was 14.
Actress Alyssa Milano posted this photo from when she was 14.Read moreAlyssa Milano

Philadelphians are joining Twitter users across the nation in using the hashtag #MeAt14 and posting a picture of themselves at 14 in response to allegations that an Alabama Republican U.S. Senate candidate had sexual contact with a girl of the same age.

The Twitter trend began over the weekend and since then more than 60,000 users have tweeted pictures of themselves in their adolescence with brief descriptions of their 14-year-old selves.

Many tweeters focus on the innocent and carefree nature of their teenage years, pointing out that a child at that age is not mature or experienced enough to be able to give consent for sex.

In Philadelphia, Maria Fisher said she was getting attention from men when she was 14. ". . . it was flattering and so uncomfortable and awful at the same time. I just wanted to take ballet and babysit infants!"

@SueinPhilly recalled she was in 8th grade and had never been kissed when she was 14.

Moore has denied the accusations against him, and has threatened to sue the Washington Post for reporting what he has publicly called, "fake news." Moore was 32 when the incident with then 14-year-old Leigh Corfman allegedly occurred. Three other women also confided in the Washington Post that they were harassed by Moore when they were between the ages of 16 to 18.

Fox News host Sean Hannity who has supported Moore in the meantime is fighting back against a call for advertisers to boycott his program and a company that has dropped its ads during his program.

According to the BBC, Catherine R L Lawson, a North Carolina lawyer, was the first person to post the hashtag and photograph of herself late Thursday night.

"It's not a question about the legal age of consent, but about affirming a shared social value that children deserve our protection," she said in an interview with the BBC.

The hashtag started to gain popularity when Daily Show co creator Lizz Winstead tweeted using the hastag on Saturday, and asked others to describe themselves when they were 14.

The age of consent ranges from 16 to 18 in the United States, depending on the state. It is 16 in Alabama.

It's just not women who are posting. According to talkwalker.com, 40 percent of the #MeAt14 posts have come from men, including one Adam from Philly.

The posts have reached millions and some have changed their social media profile pictures to the photos of their younger selves, going along with the trend's rising popularity.

Celebrities and public figures have joined in as well.

Actress Alyssa Milano posted her own version of the protest tweets, saying "I worshipped my brother. I loved my dog, Pucci. I loved OMD. I had Big hair. I was happy. I was innocent." No stranger to social protest, Milano was previously behind the #MeToo campaign, during which she encouraged victims of sexual harassment to come forward and show others they are not alone.