Oct 22, 2017
Four female senators say #MeToo
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Senators Elizabeth Warren, Claire McCaskill, Heidi Heitkamp, and Mazie Hirono told their stories of sexual harassment on "Meet the Press," joining the #MeToo social media movement that arose after the many allegations against Harvey Weinstein came to light.
Why it matters: As Chuck Todd said, "The Harvey Weinstein story has brought to light...the prevalence of sexual harassment and assault. Many of us, men mostly, were not aware or chose not to be aware of how common this kind of behavior apparently is." The #MeToo movement's purpose is shine a light on how many women, and men, have experienced situations like these.
The other senators' remarks:
- Sen. McCaskill, while working on getting a bill out of committee in the state legislature, was asked "did you bring your kneepads?" when she approached the Missouri Speaker of the House for advice.
- When Sen. Heitkamp was North Dakota Attorney General, she spoke out against domestic violence. At one event, a law enforcement official told her: "Listen here, men will always beat their wives, and you can't stop them."
- Sen. Hirono said: "I've been propositioned by teachers, by my colleagues, and, you know, you name it."
