Gabrielle Union opened up about her experience as a survivor of sexual assault during an interview on Good Morning America on Tuesday, October 17.
“For 20 years now, I’ve been trying to tell my story as honestly as possible and basically with the goal of never having to hear ‘me too’ ever again,” the Bring It On actress, 44, told Robin Roberts. “And I talk about that in my book, so it was wild the other night to see #MeToo trending.”
Many actresses and social media users shared the hashtag earlier this week after dozens of women came forward with sexual misconduct accusations against Harvey Weinstein. The 65-year-old film producer has denied “any allegations of non-consensual sex” and is seeking treatment in Arizona.
Union, who was raped at gunpoint at the age of 19, saw #MeToo trending on Twitter, and her post-traumatic stress syndrome almost immediately kicked in. “My arm went numb,” she explained. “I thought it was all about me and when I realized literally hundreds of thousands of people, men and women, [were] talking about being a part of this unfortunate club … it just rips your heart out.”
Now, the We’re Gonna Need More Wine author has vowed to keep the conversation going. “I will continue to keep talking about it. I will continue to keep educating,” she said on GMA. “You see so much now with victim-blaming and victim-shaming and really trying to put the onus on the victim and trying to say that there’s some right way to deal with trauma. I just have to keep speaking out to dispel as many misconceptions as possible about sexual violence.”
Union also opened up about her recent revelation that she suffered “eight or nine” miscarriages. “I remember calling my husband [Dwyane Wade] when I had just found out that we were pregnant and the scream of joy through the phone … it just felt like, ‘Finally!'” she recalled. “And then — it felt like a few days, but it was probably a week or two later — to find out that we had lost the baby … It’s so devastating, but you’re also filled with such shame because we told people [we were expecting].”
The 10 Things I Hate About You actress and the Cleveland Cavaliers player, 35, tied the knot in August 2014. She is stepmother to his children, Zaire, 15, Zion, 10, and Xavier, 3. (Wade shares Zaire and Zion with ex-wife Siohvaugh Funches and ex-girlfriend Aja Metoyer.)
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