An Imperfect Union brings together two people on opposite sides of an issue to work on a project in their community. Watch full episodes on Facebook Watch every Wednesday at 8pm ET.
Aliza
The #MeToo movement is more than a trend for Aliza Amar. It’s a reckoning of years and years of pain. Between the ages of 6 and 27, Aliza says she was raped repeatedly, and it took her almost the same amount of time to talk about the horrors she experienced. She now leads a non-profit for sexual assault survivors called "Breaking the Silence Together."
“Just imagine, God has given me the one and only thing that belongs to me and somebody comes and takes that away. They’re literally throwing a bomb inside my body,” Aliza said.
Aliza knows evidence isn’t always available when a man is accused of sexual assault, but she doesn’t think that matters. She believes that all accused men are guilty until proven innocent.
“I’ve been in the room where I was sexually assaulted. No one has the authority to say it didn’t happen,” she said.
To Aliza, a woman’s word should always be taken as the truth.
Harry
There’s one word Harry Crouch uses to describe the #MeToo movement: dangerous. He is the president of the National Coalition for Men (NCFM), a group that "is committed to the removal of harmful gender based stereotypes especially as they impact boys, men, their families and the women who love them."
“Issues that adversely affect men don’t get talked about. All we talk about is issues that might adversely affect women,” he said.
According to Harry, NCFM has seen an uptick of calls from families of men who have been falsely accused following the #MeToo movement, specifically college students. While he admits rape and sexual assault are a problem, he firmly believes many of the allegations are false.
“I think now men are guilty even after being proven innocent because their lives are pretty much destroyed,” he said.
Harry says that the damage the #MeToo movement created far outweighs the awareness it has sparked.
The Meeting
The two met in San Diego to participate in a service project together. Aliza told Harry that she is a sexual assault survivor. Harry responded, saying he too was a rape survivor.
To see how the rest of their conversation unfolds, watch the full episode on Facebook Watch.