海角大神

Anita Hill educated a nation about workplace sexual harassment back in 1991 with calm, deliberate testimony against Clarence Thomas. And today, 30 years later, she speaks in the same measured tones, eschewing dramatic declarations聽鈥� especially of victory聽鈥� and sounding more like the soft-spoken academic she is than an activist.

But Ms. Hill was certain enough, after聽Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced his resignation this week, to make this pronouncement: 鈥淲e鈥檝e made progress. The conversation has changed. And #MeToo did that.鈥�

Ms. Hill was joined by a number of leading figures connected with #MeToo in her feeling that the movement,聽launched in 2017 with revelations about Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein, had reached a significant milestone this week, regardless of fits and starts along the way.

鈥淲hen you鈥檝e got millions of people talking about their experiences 鈥� and understanding they are not alone, I think that sent a message to the American public that we needed to stop being in denial about these problems,鈥� Ms. Hill said in an interview after the governor said Tuesday he was resigning in two weeks, amid a slew of harassment allegations.

鈥淏ecause there were just too many voices and too many experiences for us to say collectively that this doesn鈥檛 happen. So I think that was the role that #MeToo had to play, in order for us to get where we are today.鈥�

To聽attorney Debra Katz,聽who鈥檚 represented women accusing powerful men of sexual misconduct for four decades 鈥� including Christine聽Blasey聽Ford, accuser of Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh, and聽Charlotte Bennett, one of the earliest Cuomo accusers聽鈥� the resignation marks 鈥渁 really important moment of reckoning鈥� for a movement that has shifted in and out of the spotlight in the last year or two. Just last month, many worried that聽the sight of comedian Bill Cosby freed from prison聽鈥撀燼fter the reversal of his conviction on a technicality聽鈥撀爓ould have a chilling effect on the movement.

Ms. Katz said the Cuomo result would simply never have happened before #MeToo. She noted specifically the domino effect of one accuser coming out 鈥� Lindsey Boylan, first 鈥� and then others like Ms. Bennett emerging, inspired by the courage of fellow accusers and enraged by attempts to discredit them.

鈥淲hat you had was women supporting one another, because in this post #MeToo moment, and maybe because of the [young] age of these complainants 鈥� they were just not going to give him a pass,鈥� Ms. Katz said.

Most crucial, said Ms. Katz and others, was what they called the聽exhaustive and thorough investigation into Mr. Cuomo鈥檚 behavior conducted by New York Attorney General Letitia James聽鈥� a huge contrast, they said, to that conducted into Mr. Kavanaugh鈥檚 behavior by the FBI.

Ms. Hill said that the breadth and transparency of the New York investigation, which detailed the harassment accusations of 11 women, was 鈥渟omething we鈥檝e never seen before.鈥�

鈥淚t was a model, I think, for how we can move forward and address these issues, whether in government or in corporations or in the legal system,鈥� she said. Like Ms. Katz, she decried the Kavanaugh investigation; Mr. Kavanaugh was eventually confirmed despite Ms. Ford鈥檚 accusations, as was Mr. Thomas, in 1991, despite Ms. Hill鈥檚 testimony.

Mr. Cuomo and his lawyers have attacked the attorney general鈥檚 report, saying it glossed over gaps in the evidence, left out facts in his favor, and accepted unsupported allegations against him as true without proof. While he鈥檚 acknowledged that some of the incidents with women did occur, he鈥檚 said he didn鈥檛 realize he was making anyone uncomfortable, and denied the most serious allegation he faced聽鈥� that he groped an aide鈥檚 breast聽鈥� as fabricated.

Tarana Burke, the activist who gave the #MeToo movement its name, noted that many had been disturbed by the fact that Mr. Cuomo, who presented himself as a strong ally of the #MeToo movement, is accused of engaging in harassing behavior at the very same time. But she stressed that it鈥檚 important to focus not on the accused but on the accusers, and their increasing bravery in coming forward聽鈥� an encouraging sign for the future.

鈥淭he fact that he would do this lets me know that power is just insidious,鈥� she said of Mr. Cuomo. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 know how much headway we鈥檙e making in that area. But we鈥檙e making headway in the other area where women are coming forward. And I think that鈥檚 a big victory.鈥�

鈥淚 think it鈥檚 a big thing to look at these young people,鈥� she added of the youth of Mr. Cuomo鈥檚 accusers (Ms. Bennett, for example, is 25.) 鈥淭his is a movement that has to stay young and fresh. When people think of #MeToo, I want them to think of 22-year-old college students 鈥� [people] thinking bigger and brighter and braver and bolder than I am.鈥�

Ms. Burke has long said it鈥檚 dangerous to view each case as a win or a loss, because satisfaction with one can easily turn to disappointment with the next, as when Mr. Cosby was freed. But she said she鈥檇 be lying if she didn鈥檛 feel intense satisfaction when she heard, from her mother on the phone, that the governor was stepping down.

鈥淚 actually cursed, which I try not to do in front of my mom, but I was excited,鈥� she said. 鈥淎nd my excitement was about, can you imagine how amazing that must feel to these 11 women who, conversely, their lives could have been completely destroyed? These women could have been 鈥� silenced, blackballed, and worse. So I feel really good for them, that they have some sense of relief and accountability.鈥�

Like Ms. Burke, Ms. Hill has always said no one case should serve as a referendum on the movement.

One point, though, seems likely to her: Five years ago, the results in the Mr. Cuomo case would not have been the same. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 know that the public would have pushed back so strongly,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 know if people in the party would have called for a resignation.鈥�

Still, work remains, especially in the area of accountability, said Ms. Hill, who along with her teaching at Brandeis University chairs the Hollywood Commission, which works toward eliminating sexual harassment in the entertainment industry.

Ms. Hill noted that a聽recent commission survey聽found a strong belief in the industry that sexual harassers will not be held accountable.

鈥淭his is [just] one example,鈥� she said of the Cuomo case. 鈥淭here are probably people who will still not believe that a person who is in power will be called to reckon for violations in the workplace. And the question we have to ask ourselves is: Is this an aberration, or is this something that can be the beginning of a trend, if we do it right?鈥�

This story was reported by The Associated Press.