Weinstein Conviction: “Victory” For #MeToo
fter Harvey Weinstein’s high-profile two-week-long sexual assault trial with 30 hours of jury deliberation, renowned film producer Harvey Weinstein was found guilty of two felony sex crimes this past Monday.
The trial is seen as a victory for not only the six women who testified against Weinstein but also a victorious watershed moment for the #MeToo Movement as a whole.
The Manhattan jury aquitted Weinstein on the most serious charges — predatory sexual assault and first-degree rape, New York laws clarifying first-degree rape as requiring the victim was subjected to nonconsensual intercourse via forcible compulsion, and predatory sexual assualt, which a person can be found guilty of if they committed a first-degree rape, criminal sexual act, or aggravated sexual abuse against more than one other person.
However, the jury did convict Weinstein on the charges of third-degree rape and first-degree criminal sexual act.
The charges rested heavily on the accusations of Jessica Mann, a former actress who claimed Weinstein raped her in 2013, and Miriam Halay, a production assistent who claimed Weinstein forced oral sex on her in 2006.
With Weinstein being found guilty, he is looking to serve potentially decades behind bars, the official sentencing set for March 11.
The intitial accusations of sexual assault against Weinstein in 2017 brought significant attention to the #MeToo Movement in America.
After actress Ashley Judd publicly accused Weinstein in a breaking story by The New York Times, women began coming forward with sexual assault allegations against Weinstein as well as scores of women with their own stories of sexual assault.
With Weinstien being the most vilified figure of the #MeToo Movement, his recent conviction has been seen as a watershed moment for the movement, as it demonstrates to sexual assault victims that sexual misconduct will not be overlooked.
One of the women who testified at the trial, former actress Dawn Dunning, said, “This verdict made it real for people watching from afar that you will be held accountable for your actions. You can’t take advantage of people just because you have power and money.”
District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr. had initially declined pursuing a prosecution against Weinstein in 2015 when he had been approached by a victim of sexual assault by Weinstein in the workplace, but Vance became involved in prosecuting Weinstein in late 2017 after the myriad number of women came forward to accuse the Hollywood mogul of sexual misconduct.
After successfully convicting Weinstein, Vance expressed his admoration for the women who came forward against Weinstein, saying they “changed the course of history in the fight against sexual violence” and “pulled our justice system into the 21st century.”
Looking to the future, Weinstein’s lawyers have stated their plans to appeal the court decision. Weinstein’s defense attorney Donna Rotunno said, “Harvey is unbelievably strong. He took it like a man. He knows that we will continue to fight for him, and we know that this is not over.”
For now, Weinstein’s conviction is a significant move forward for the #MeToo Movement, as American television star and activist Monica Lewinsky tweeted after the trial’s conclusion: “Found myself emotional + so grateful for this… not just for the women who were grossly abused by …Weinstein but for all women who’ve been marginalized + abandoned by the justice system at times, sectors of society + some media outlets/journos. times, sectors of society + some media outlets/journos.”