Cosby cover sparks #TheEmptyChair discussion

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New York magazine cover sparks a discussion about the culture surrounding sexual assault

Cover featured 35 of the women who have accused Bill Cosby of rape

The discussion used the hashtag #TheEmptyChair

CNN  — 

The striking cover of the latest issue of New York magazine features 35 women who have accused Bill Cosby of rape. In four rows, they sit side by side in what the magazine calls an “unwelcome sisterhood.”

But a 36th seat is left empty. It is a placeholder, the magazine said, representing the sexual-assault victims who are unable to come forward, out of shame or in fear of a culture that won’t believe them.

The comedian has never been criminally charged and has vehemently denied wrongdoing.

The cover sparked a social media conversation centered around the hashtag #TheEmptyChair on Monday. It even inspired some women to share their own stories of being victimized.

“TBH #theemptychair is making me cry,” one woman said on Twitter. “So many of us could be or are that person. Too many.”

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