Surely Harvey Weinstein never expected to find himself handcuffed and led off to a jail cell.
No more than the women he abused expected to find themselves cornered, groped, raped, debased, violated, tricked, even broken by him – a man who used their ambitions as the tool to manipulate and silence them.
Women the world over didn’t need to have met Harvey Weinstein to feel a moment of triumph when they heard or read Monday morning that a Manhattan jury of his peers – and their peers – had found the 67-year-old disgraced movie mogul guilty of a 1st-degree criminal sexual act and a 3rd-degree rape. And when they heard he was then handcuffed and taken into custody until his sentencing on March 11, they could stand a little taller and smile all over. There is justice.
Even though Weinstein was acquitted on the two most serious criminal charges against him, he faces “no less than five years” for his crimes, according to Manhattan District Attorney Cy Vance, who called Weinstein a “vicious serial sexual predator who used his power to threaten, rape, assault, trick, humiliate, and silence his victims.”
Vance praised the women who came forward; “These survivors weren’t just brave, they were heroic,” he said.
Indeed they were. Indeed they are.
At least 100 women have publicly accused Weinstein of sexual abuse, but jurors in the New York state court only heard from six of them – four actresses, a production assistant and a scriptwriter testified against Harvey Weinstein during his trial over the past few weeks. Prosecutors argued that Weinstein, who came to court using a walker, is “not a harmless old man.”
For his part, Weinstein pleaded not guilty, and his attorneys said the incidents were consensual. The attorneys now say they will appeal the conviction. In the meantime, Weinstein faces more charges in California.
The cases point up a pattern that screams against Weinstein – and far too many other men of his ilk.
Beyond the testimonies of women involved in these cases, there were other testimonies – from women whose assaults did not prompt more legal charges – that amplified the pattern of his deviance and darkness. One woman told the court that Weinstein used his hands to sexually assault her as employees sat nearby, another said he raped her at what she thought was a meeting about her aspiring acting career, a third said he cornered her and masturbated during a meeting she thought was about a movie script.
But on Monday, the jury’s verdict sent a powerful message. Women won’t go back. Nor will they be silenced.
Tina Tchen, president and CEO of the Time’s Up Foundation, which aims to combat workplace sexual misconduct, summed it up in this statement: “While we celebrate this historic moment, our fight to fix the broken system that has allowed serial abusers like Harvey Weinstein to abuse women in the first place continues. Abusers everywhere and the powerful forces that protect them should be on notice: There’s no going back.”
The #MeToo movement, spawned by the 2017 Weinstein revelations, changed the game when it comes to matters of safety and equity in the workplace.
But it wasn’t just about Weinstein. He was just another in growing litany of powerful men lost in their abusiveness. The Weinstein revelations, after all, followed the 2015 revelations against Bill Cosby who used date rape drugs to take advantage of women, and the 20-plus sexual assault claims against President Donald Trump in 2016 after his Access Hollywood hot-mic tape went viral with he himself bragging about grabbing women’s private parts. And we mustn’t forget the tandem abusers at Fox News – Roger Ailes and Bill O’Reilly.
“It’s no longer business as usual in the United States. This is the age of empowerment of women. And you cannot intimidate them anymore,” said Gloria Allred, the attorney for two of the women involved. “This justice has been a long time coming but we’re finally here and this is not the end,” she added, referencing the case against Weinstein in Los Angeles.
Actress Ashley Judd, one of the hundreds of women who has accused Weinstein of sexual harassment, credited women for standing up and saying enough. Especially those in the Weinstein case.
“For the women who testified in this case, and walked through traumatic hell, you did a public service to girls and women everywhere, thank you,” Judd tweeted.
Yes, thank you.
But women have to do more now that just speak up and accuse and testify. We have to accomplish much more than sending the worst offenders to prison. We must transform our culture of male sexual entitlement (and the misconduct it begets) and finally achieve real equality.
That starts with confidence. And it continues with every vote we cast.