In the weeks since an investigative report exposed decades of sexual harassment and assault claims against Harvey Weinstein, a steady stream of women in Hollywood circles – including Gwyneth Paltrow, Mira Sorvino and Lupita Nyong’o – have come forth to accuse the film mogul of grossly inappropriate behavior.

The allegations have also prompted scores of people to share their own experiences with sexual harassment and assault on social media, using the now-viral hashtag #MeToo. The idea, in part, behind the sheer volume of posts was to show that such behavior is not just a problem isolated in high-powered celebrity circles. It can and does happen anywhere, to anyone.

Even to those in Congress.

NBC’s “Meet the Press” said it asked every female U.S. senator for personal stories of harassment they were comfortable sharing. At least four responded. One, Sen. Mazie Hirono, D-Hawaii, later tweeted, “Pretty much every woman that I know, myself included, has a #MeToo story.”

Sen. Heidi Heitkamp, D-N.D., shared an account from when she was starting out as North Dakota’s attorney general, more than 20 years ago. She had then wanted to change the dynamic of domestic violence, and spoke once at an event with a retired officer about what happens when there is violence in the home.

“After I got done, this very much older law enforcement official came up to me,” Heitkamp told “Meet the Press.”

“And he pretty much put his finger in my face, and he said, ‘Listen here. Men will always beat their wives and you can’t stop ’em.’ ”

Celebrities like Alyssa Milano and Rosario Dawson first helped to amplify the hashtag last Sunday, as thousands of women shared that they were victims of harassment and assault. Some contributed wrenching accounts of romantic overtures by bosses, catcalls from strangers and sexual assault.

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