Harvey Weinstein, Matt Lauer, Kevin Spacey are among a list celebrities and politicians, who all faced quick and intense backlash from sexual harassment allegations.
The scandals sparked the #MeToo movement. Now, a year later, some feel the movement has shifted.
“Certainly, after the #MeToo movement, what we have seen [is] survivors have more safe spaces to go to, to access support,” says Bridgette Stumpf, a sexual assault advocate with the Network for Victim Recovery of D.C. “Unfortunately, with the Times survey just over a month ago, that said of women surveyed 60 percent say their environment of reporting sexual harassment assault doesn’t feel any different than a year ago.”
Decades-old allegations threatened Brett Kavanaugh’s Supreme Court confirmation. Just this week, Special Counsel Robert Mueller says someone offered a woman money to fabricate sexual harassment claims against him.
“It doesn’t matter what your political affiliation is, there’s this sense in politics that winning is the most important thing,” Stumpf says.
A new poll finds found 4 in 10 surveyed believe the movement has gone too far. The nation is split along party lines, with 75 percent of Republicans saying the #MeToo movement has gone too far, compared to 21 percent of Democrats.
Sexual assault advocates say that can have an impact on victims coming forward or being believed.
“From a survivor’s perspective, if you already felt the criminal justice might not be a space where you’re believed, your willingness to think that that’s going to get better in this political moment is probably not likely,” Stumpf explains.
