After a year of headlines, #MeToo is everywhere: NPR

This week marks the first anniversary of the report, in The New York Times and New Yorker, which led to the fall of film producer Harvey Weinstein.

From that moment, the hashtag #MeToo was catapulted into a national movement. The #MeToo conversation now seems to be everywhere.

Oprah Winfrey at the Golden Globe Awards: "Take the time when no one should ever say" me too "again."

Janelle Monae at the Grammy Awards: "We come in peace, but we are talking about business."

Sarah Soileau, a psychology teacher at Dunbar High School in Washington, wants her class to examine some of the issues raised by the # MeToo movement – issues such as verbal consent.

"What did we learn?" Marcus Bright, age 17, declares the student. "Every base, every base, first base, second base, third base, every base, I ask you."

"It's a good rule to follow," says Soileau. "Every base, you better ask, agree?"

Sarah Soileau says that #MeToo has been the opportunity to talk about serious and relevant issues such as consent and sexual harassment.

"It's important to teach our students when they're younger so that they do not grow up in a culture where they think everything is fine," she says. "I'm just trying to give voice to these girls and boys to say: 'This is not OK, and I will not tolerate it.'"

More money, more problems reported

Women in general do not tolerate it either and the results are measurable. This year, reports on sexual harassment submitted to the Commission for Equal Opportunities in Employment increased by 12% after years of stability. The EEOC is the government body dealing with workplace discrimination cases, including sexual harassment.

The vast majority of these claims are not subject to litigation. But the number that has doubled this year.

Acting President of the EEOC, Victoria Lipnic, said that the interest generated by #MeToo – individuals and employers – had been huge.

"Our website has been multiplied by five by the number of people looking for information about sexual harassment," Lipnic said. "We have organized hundreds of training sessions for employers."

Here's another thing that has changed as a result of #MeToo: women have real money for help.

"I have been a civil rights and women's rights lawyer for 20 years," said Sharyn Tejani, director of the Time & # 39; s Up Legal Defense Fund. "And if you had said at some point during those 20 years that money would be available to help people make themselves known, to help them with their cases, I would have told you: "It will never happen. ""

The Time & Up Legal Defense Fund covers the legal costs of alleged victims of sexual harassment. With major donors like Shonda Rhimes and Meryl Streep, the fund reached $ 21 million in just two months. Time's Up has also started giving grants to non-profit organizations working in poor communities.

At the same time, lawyers can not do much. Of the thousands of sexual harassment reports that arrive, only a fraction is funded for legal aid.

"Some people come to see us, you know, two years after it happened to them, five years after it happened to them, ten years later, because they've never felt comfortable with speak before, "said Tejani. . "And the law is such that you have to report or bring a case within a certain period of time, so some of these women have exceeded their speaking time."

"Some of these arriving women are independent contractors and, unless you live in some states, you are not covered by the Discrimination Act, some of whom work for very small employers. – In some states, these people are not covered, so people have to come forward and we can put them in touch with lawyers, who help them when they can, but sometimes nothing can be done. "

Surges

Jo Freeman has written books on the liberation of women and other social movements. To put #MeToo in context, she highlights the fight against racism.

"One hundred years ago, culture endorsed white supremacy," Freeman said. "It's been 100 years since we've been fighting this one, and I think we've made a lot of progress, but it's not done yet."

"You have to plow the soil and plant the seeds before you can harvest," she adds.

Freeman says that social movements need both high-profile "flare-ups" like speeches and parades. But they also need a behind-the-scenes work such as the Time & Up Legal Defense Fund.

"This organization under the radar and behind the scenes is extremely important," says Freeman. "Well, you know, what you see are the increasing items.What catches our attention now is the wide participation of the people in the Kavanaugh case."

Freeman refers to Christine Blasey Ford's allegations that Brett Kavanaugh sexually assaulted her several decades ago, while they were in high school. Hundreds protested Kavanaugh's appointment to the US Supreme Court this week.

One of the protesters, Linda Miranda Brown, came from New Jersey. She says her feelings have been ubiquitous in recent weeks: "dismayed and demoralized", yet "full of hope and motivation."

Brown believes that without the support of the # MeToo movement, Ford may not have advanced at all.

"I really think that without the cultural conversation taking place right now, she would not have had the courage to make herself known – and knowing that she would have the support of millions of Americans," she said. said Brown.

The backlash

But #MeToo also terrifies people. The only allegations can make men fired.

Many critics find that the #MeToo movement has resulted in excessive punishments for small offenses such as inappropriate flirting. This week, President Trump said that "it's a very scary time for young men in America."

"All my life, I've heard that you were innocent until proven otherwise," Trump told reporters outside the White House. "But now you're guilty until proven otherwise – it's a very, very difficult standard."

#MeToo's reaction is not just about fear of false accusations. Heather Mac Donald, member of the Manhattan Institute Fellow and author of the book Misconceptions about diversity: how race and gender differences have corrupted the university and undermined our culture, says the move assumes that women in America have no voice.

"We live in a very tolerant society," says Mac Donald. "This is not Afghanistan.It is not Iran with the Revolutionary Guard.For me, American women complain about being victims of violence. a culture of rape or patriarchy, is extremely deceived and ignorant what these things really look like. "

Facing the interior

Whatever your point of view, it is clear that the # MeToo movement has triggered a lively cultural conversation. He upset ideas about what women should support at work and divided people according to gender and generations.

Jenny Lumet is a screenwriter and television producer. In an open letter in The Hollywood journalist, she alleged that hip-hop mogul Russell Simmons had sexually assaulted her. He denied it.

Lumet has thought a lot about the meaning of #MeToo – how it forces people to deal with their own beliefs and behaviors.

"What's most uncomfortable for people, is … you have to turn your gaze on yourself," says Lumet. "Or you're forced to do it sometimes, at times, and even if it's just for a second."

Lumet think this year of the # MeToo movement will always be a point of reference.