Some House Democrats are planning to invite sexual assault survivors as their guests to President Trump’s first State of the Union address, according to a new report.
An aide to Rep. Lois Frankel (D-Fla.) told NBC News that some Democrats are planning the invitations to bring awareness to the issue.
“Some members will be bringing survivors of sexual assault and advocates as their guests,” the aide told NBC News.
{mosads}The report comes on the heels of Rep. Jackie Speier (D-Calif.) saying Tuesday that she and other female House members are inviting lawmakers to wear black to Trump’s State of the Union in solidarity with the anti-sexual harassment “Me Too” and “Time’s Up” movements.
“This is a culture change that is sweeping the country and Congress is embracing it,” Speier told The Hill in a statement.
Speier said the Democratic Women’s Working Group, which includes all of the female House members, was encouraging lawmakers from both sides of the aisle to wear black to the event, and that support is very high.
More than a dozen women came forward to publicly accuse Trump of sexual harassment during his 2016 presidential campaign.
Last month, three of the women banded together for the first time to call for a congressional investigation into Trump.
One Democrat, Rep. Earl Blumenauer (Ore.), announced last week that he would boycott Trump’s address.
“Rather than listening to yet another destructive and divisive speech by Trump, I will not attend this year’s annual address to Congress,” he said in a statement. “Instead, like I did during Trump’s Inauguration, I will be working here at home listening to Oregonians about what they think about the State of the Union.