Charlotte Bennett, 26, a party to The Sexual Harassment Incident in New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, found that he had harassed at least 11 women during the investigation, prompting him to resign.
Bennett just received Anita Hill's new book, Believing, this week. For her, the book isn't just an examination of gender-based violence, but also Hill has a similar experience with Bennett — 30 years ago, Hill accused then-Supreme Court nominee Clarence Thomas of sexual harassment and testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee.
For Bennett, Hill, like her, has been brave enough to stand up and show that she has been treated inappropriately by powerful men.
"I can't imagine how Hill felt to come forward like this in 1991," Bennett said, "and I thought about it for a long, long time." ”
Hill's story clearly predates the #MeToo movement, and Bennett's story is largely part of #MeToo.
Last Friday, October 15, the milestone of the #MeToo movement reaching its fourth anniversary.
The Me Too, or #MeToo movement, is a social movement against sexual abuse and harassment in which the public makes allegations of sexual crimes public. The term "Me Too" was originally used on Myspace's social media in 2006 by sexual assault survivor and activist Tarana Burke.
Similar to other movements for social justice and empowerment based on breaking silence, "Me Too" aims to empower survivors through empathy and solidarity, through the power of "quantity"—especially young and vulnerable women—to visually show how many people have survived sexual assault and harassment (especially in the workplace).
#MeToo运动正式作为一个标签话题在社交媒体上疯狂传播 in October 2017 after allegations of sexual abuse against Harvey Weinstein came to light.
On October 15, 2017, Alyssa Milano, a famous American actress, tweeted: "If all women who have been sexually harassed or sexually assaulted write 'I am too' as a status, we may make people feel the seriousness of the problem." ”
The idea received some high-profile support and response from other celebrities such as Gwyneth Paltrow, Ashley Judd, Jennifer Lawrence, Uma Thurman, and others.
After millions of people began using the phrase and hashtag in the English context, the expression quickly spread to dozens of other languages.
With this expansion of internationalization, #MeToo运动的范围变得更加广泛, which Burke recently described as an international movement for justice for marginalized people in marginalized communities.
For Bennett, a former health policy assistant who served in the Como administration, the reason she dared to stand up against the governor was that she felt part of a survivor community that supported and moved forward.
"I'm willing to think we're believed now. Unlike before, we're not convincing others what happened at the time and trying to convince them that it affected us – we don't need to prove our credibility now – and we don't have to apologize for it. Bennett stressed.
Bennett also said she was particularly terrified of coming forward with her real name, but she knew it was clear that this was not a confrontation between herself and the governor, but a clip of advancing the #MeToo movement. "My business is a small thing, a small fragment of the reckoning of sexual misconduct that has occurred in the workplace and elsewhere."
The data suggests that in the four years since Alyssa Milano tweeted calling for #MeToo, most Americans believe the campaign has awakened more perceptions of misconduct.
According to a poll by the ASSOCIATed Press's NORC Center for Public Affairs Research:
54% of Americans say they are more likely to speak out if they are victims of sexual misconduct;
58% said they would speak out if they had witnessed this.
62% of women said they were more likely to speak out if they were victims of sexual misconduct; 44% of men expressed the same willingness.
If this had been witnessed, 63 percent of women would have been willing to be witnesses; 53 percent of men would have thought the same way.
Polls also show generational differences:
63 percent of Americans under the age of 30 say they are more likely to speak up if they are victims. 51% of older people take the same position.
67% of adults under the age of 30 said they were more likely to speak out if they witnessed inappropriate sex, compared to 56% of older adults.
Overall:
Nearly half of Americans say the continued focus on sexual misconduct has had a positive impact on the country as a whole, and 24 percent believe that this concern has had a negative impact.
"Speaking out comes at a cost," Bennett added, "and Cuomo, while having resigned, still hasn't taken real responsibility for his misdeeds." He's even trying to discredit us. ”
Cuomo, 63, among other things, asked if her experience of being sexually assaulted in college had affected her sex life, asked about her sexual relationships and said he could date women in her 20s.
During the investigation, Cuomo denied that he had sexually provoked and also denied allegations of inappropriate contact from other women, including an aide who accused him of touching her breasts.
Bennett was still full of fear when she thought about it, but she affirmed her courage to stand up and speak out. "Every day is tough and I'm a little exhausted... But I knew I would still make the same decision if I chose again, and I was proud of myself and I would get through it. ”
In her view, #MeToo运动不仅仅应该是一个让女性感到安全的社群 should be the "birthplace" of leaders.
"We know how institutions work, we know the bottom of these institutions better than anyone, we think of a lot of solutions to solve problems, and we should sit at the main table." Bennett expressed his call for women to be put in power.
Today, on the fourth anniversary of the #MeToo movement, we clearly see its widespread spread and influence.
The women who participated in the #MeToo movement, who had the courage to speak up about their pain and trauma, some were heard and some justice was done; but many survivors were still suffering and still enduring public criticism and judgment.
Although reality is not as complete as ideal, in the #MeToo movement, whether it is witnesses or witnesses, we are enlightening and learning, and constantly awakening our own sensitivity and boldness.
What are your thoughts on the #MeToo movement?
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