Now, the figures driving #MeToo say they are feeling a surge in momentum, but are grappling with how they can move beyond individual allegations and toward a concrete set of policy and legal goals
Three days before Harvey Weinstein was convicted of rape, Michael Bloomberg agreed to release three women from nondisclosure agreements so they could publicly describe complaints against him. Hours after the Weinstein jury adjourned, celebrities and fans packed a memorial for Kobe Bryant as questions lingered about the impact a 2003 rape case would have on his legacy. The next day, a $500,000 deal to settle sexual harassment allegations against the opera superstar Plácido Domingo collapsed when details of an investigation into his behavior toward over two dozen women became public.
Those developments are all signs of how potent — and unresolved — #MeToo continues to be. This week, the man who ignited the movement was found guilty in New York, a victory many victims once considered unattainable. Now, the figures driving #MeToo say they are feeling a surge in momentum, but are grappling with how they can move beyond individual allegations and toward a concrete set of policy and legal goals.
“The outcome of the Weinstein case should be seen as fuel to keep survivors and our allies motivated for change,” said Tarana Burke, the founder of the movement. “Moving close to the third year since the viral #MeToo moment, we have to be thinking about how we make big strategic moves that are beyond individual takedowns.”
Melinda Gates, the philanthropist, recently pledged $1 billion toward promoting gender equality, an enormous infusion. She wrote that her decision was spurred in part by #MeToo, and that she wanted to tackle issues like workplace harassment. “A window has been opened,” she said.
But after more than two years of improvisation, there is growing consensus on the need for a more united front. Many of #MeToo’s leaders — including Burke, Time’s Up and the National Women’s Law Center, all backed by Gates — are considering how to form “a cohesive, common agenda,” said Fatima Goss Graves, the president of the center. They all say they want to act before the moment passes.
The path ahead has been unclear in part because the movement is diffuse, a grassroots chorus. Unlike, say, the fight for same-sex marriage, it does not have one landmark goal. Basic questions about fairness, the scope of scrutiny and accountability remain unsettled.
©2019 New York Times News Service