Speaking at ERA rally, Actress Alyssa Milano says past sexual assaults a catalyst for her activism

(4 Jun 2018) ALYSSA MILANO SAYS PAST SEXUAL ASSAULTS INSPIRE HER ACTIVISM Actress Alyssa Milano was among a group of prominent women who rallied for the passage of the Equal Rights Amendment in lower Manhattan on Monday (04JUNE). The group gathered in front of the  Fearless Girl statue. Asked where her "outrage," stemmed from  Milano told an AP reporter that she had been sexually assaulted "a bunch of times." "Not only working in Hollywood but just you know from being a woman," Milano said and then added,  "I think when you're not protected under the Constitution you're considered less than and it breeds a societal viewpoint that women can be taken advantage of and there are abuses of power that can take place. And I don't think that would be the case if we were protected under the Constitution." Milano and Democratic member of the U.S. Congress from New York Carolyn Maloney  announced they would be holding "shadow hearings" on the ERA Wednesday at the capitol in Washington D.C. The ERA was passed by Congress in 1972 but is still one state short of the 38 needed to ratify the amendment so it becomes part of the U.S. Constitution. Last week Illinois ratifed the ERA and in 2017 Nevada did the same. The ERA would require that rights not be denied to any person on account of gender. Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter:   / ap_archive   Facebook:   / aparchives   ​​ Instagram:   / apnews   You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...