City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito has revealed she was the victim of sexual abuse as a child.
The council speaker opened up about her past on Twitter Wednesday night after she retweeted a report from The Hill that included footage of Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump in 1992 making a remark about a 10-year-old girl.
“1/5 girls are victims of child sex abuse. I’m that 1/5. Trump’s misogyny & sexual violence has re-opened wounds I’ve tried to heal,” Mark-Viverito tweeted.
In the video footage, Trump can be heard talking to the girl, then he says, “I’m going to be dating her in 10 years, can you believe it?”
Mark-Viverito followed up with a second tweet that said “#NoMoreSilence I am empowered. And strong. #FearMe.”
Many retweeted Mark-Viverito in a show of support, including Mayor Bill de Blasio.
“Tonight @MMViverito showed courage and humanity and stood up for women and girls everywhere. NYC stands with her,” the mayor tweeted.
Mark-Viverito is a supporter of Trump’s rival Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton and has campaigned on her behalf on several occasions.
Just a few hours earlier, The New York Times released a report in which two women accused Trump of engaging in inappropriate sexual behavior. More women have since come forward with similar accusations, though Trump and his campaign are vigorously denying all of the claims.
At a campaign rally on Thursday, Trump said the allegations were fiction.
“These claims are all fabricated. They’re pure fiction and they’re outright lies. These events never, ever happened,” he said.
