A-list actress-turned-A-list activist Alyssa Milano has sparked a major controversy on social media after calling on women to stop having sex.
Yes, really.
It seems that practicing abstinence is the only logical way for women to “protect their vaginas” and stop men “from trying to legislate them.”
The star’s proposed “sex strike” was meant to unite women against the restrictive new abortion legislation, but instead, it united them by bashing the actress for what many saw as an outdated idea.
“Until women have legal control over our own bodies we just cannot risk pregnancy,” Milano said on Twitter Friday.
“JOIN ME by not having sex until we get bodily autonomy back.”
“I’m calling for a #SexStrike. Pass it on,” she concluded.
According to CNN, critics said the strike assumes that sex is enjoyed only by men and that women’s bodies are commodities that can be denied to men as punishment.
Some people also pointed out that the sex strike ignored LGBTQ people and didn’t consider the possibility of sexual violence.
“Living under the patriarchy has already robbed me of safety, autonomy, opportunities, and trust in our institutions,” wrote Kristi Coulter on Twitter.
“Now I’m supposed to give up sex, too, and play into the fiction that it is just a bargaining chip/transaction for women.”
“Love you, but nope.”
Tammy Lawson also took to Twitter to express her outrage with the idea.
“A shame because again, you are using sex as a weapon, as a way to get what you want,” Tammy wrote.
“I guess your brain wasn’t good enough.”
While most people found the sex strike offensive, it did actually attract some supporters.
Some abortion opponents commended the actress on her initiative, although their reasons for supporting it were entirely different.
“I’m totally with you, @Alyssa_Milano, on not having sex. But the issue isn’t reproductive rights,” shared Lila Rose, president of the anti-abortion organization Live Action.
“The issue is reproductive responsibilities and fidelity. No one should have sex until they’re ready to embrace the privilege and responsibility of a lifelong commitment & raising a child.”
Milano’s call came a few days after Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp signed a bill known as the “heartbeat law” that would ban abortions if a fetal heartbeat is detected.
Which is usually around 6 weeks — often times before a woman even knows she is pregnant.
The “Who’s the Boss” star opposed the bill and urged the film and TV industry, which shoots many projects in Atlanta, GA, to leave the state if it did indeed become a law.
Since Kemp signed the bill, three production companies have already agreed to no longer film in Georgia.
The actress has become one of the #MeToo movement’s leading celebrity voices.
She inspired thousands of women to come forward with their own stories, following the Harvey Wienstein scandal, after her ground-breaking tweet which read:
“If you’ve been sexually harassed or assaulted write ‘me too’ as a reply to this tweet.”
Milano woke up the next day to 53,000 replies.
Within 24 hours, MeToo appeared 12 million times across Twitter and Facebook, according to The Washington Post.
Within two days, the phrase was trending in 85 countries.
And while Alyssa is usually getting celebrated for her work on female justice — this time, in the heat of the moment, she got it all wrong.
While we all know she meant well, she negatively implied that women only have sex to please men or for babies.
She did not acknowledge the fact that women may like to actually have sex for their own pleasure.
Her stance definitely reinforces the stereotype that all women have to offer is their bodies.
Many found her initiative frustrating because she, herself, has worked endlessly to dismiss that out-of-date theology.
Instead of denying one of the most natural things in the world or ignoring the men in your life — there are plenty of other ways to protest the Georgia law.
Like voting.
Or calling your representatives…
Or donating to organizations targeted at protecting women’s rights!
The sex strike, while a great attention-grabber, is just not the answer.
Women shouldn’t be expected to give up something they want to do in order to protest against something that is being done to them.
We thank Alyssa for using her platform and for her effort — but we can only hope that next time she thinks before she tweets!