NEW YORK (AP) — #MeToo founder Tarana Burke has heard it before. Every time there’s a legal setback, the movement is declared dead in the water. A legal success, and presto, it’s alive again.
So Burke, who nearly two decades ago coined the phrase “Me too” from her work with sexual assault survivors, found herself again declaring after New York’s highest court on Thursday overturned Harvey Weinstein’s 2020 rape conviction: The #MeToo reckoning is greater than any court case. It’s still there, and it’s working.
The most obvious proof, Burke said: “Ten years ago we could not get a man like Harvey Weinstein into the courtroom.”
The movement, she said, was responsible for that huge cultural shift — regardless of the Hollywood mogul’s ultimate legal fate.
Also seeking to take the long view, following a legal setback that stunned many survivors and advocates, was Anita Hill. She testified against Clarence Thomas during his 1991 Supreme Court confirmation hearing, becoming the face of the fight against sexual harassment more than a quarter-century before the Weinstein revelations launched the #MeToo movement.
Company wins court ruling to continue development of Michigan factory serving EV industry
Iraq signs MoU with German, U.S. companies on associated gas utilization
China to build pilot zones for special needs education reform
(Chengdu Universiade) China's pandas endure as symbol of cross
China to build pilot zones for special needs education reform
S. Korea's opposition bloc wins three
China's mega water diversion project benefits over 176 mln people
Hong Kong defends new security law
Cruise worker 'murders newborn son on board ship': Shocked co
Bangladesh mulls to suspend services of Facebook, YouTube: minister