>> THIS FALL, PEOPLE THE WORLD OVER BEGAN TO UNITE AROUND TWO
WORDS.
ME TOO.
PEOPLE BEGAN TO SHARE THEIR STORIES.
I SPOKE WITH ATTORNEY LAN CANTONI, WHO EXPLAINS LEGAL
IMPEDIMENTS TO PROSECUTING SEXUAL MISCONDUCT AND PROFESSOR
LAURA DUNCAN.
>> IT SEEMED LIKE IT WAS ONE MORE EVENT THAT HAPPENED
FOLLOWING THE ELECTION OF DONALD TRUMP AND THE MARCHES THAT
HAPPENED DURING THE INAUGURATION.
SO IT DIDN'T SURPRISE ME.
IT KIND OF REMINDED ME A LOT OF WHAT HAPPENED IN 1991 WHEN ANITA
HILL TESTIFIED IN THE CLARENCE THOMAS SUPREME COURT
CONFIRMATION HEARINGS.
AT THAT TIME, WE DIDN'T HAVE SOCIAL MEDIA.
THE INTERNET WASN'T A BIG DEAL AT THAT POINT.
BUT THERE WAS SO MUCH TALK AMONGST WOMEN AT THAT TIME ABOUT
SEXUAL HARASSMENT.
AND THIS JUST FELT LIKE THE SAME THING, BUT ON STEROIDS BECAUSE
EVERYBODY HAS ACCESS TO SOCIAL MEDIA NOW.
EVERYBODY COULD PARTICIPATE.
ANYONE WITH ANY SORT OF SOCIAL MEDIA ACCOUNT COULD JUMP IN.
YOU DIDN'T HAVE TO DISCLOSE ANY DETAILS.
YOU COULD JUST SAY, ME TOO.
THAT'S ALL YOU HAD TO DO.
SO IT WAS VERY LOW COST ENTRY, EASILY ACCESSIBLE.
>> SO MANY PEOPLE GOT INVOLVED WITH IT.
IN THE WAKE OF THE HASHTAG PROLIFERATING ACROSS SOCIAL
MEDIA, DID YOU HEAR FROM PEOPLE WHO WERE MORE INTERESTED IN
UNDERSTANDING THEIR RIGHTS OR PERHAPS EVEN BRINGING A LAWSUIT?
WHAT WERE YOU HEARING FROM PEOPLE?
>> ABSOLUTELY.
WE DEFINITELY HEARD A LOT MORE FROM WOMEN WHO CAME FORWARD AND
SPOKE TO OUR FIRM ASKING QUESTIONS ABOUT WHAT THEIR
RIGHTS ARE AND WHETHER CERTAIN COMMENTS, ACTIONS OF SUPERVISORS
AND EMPLOYEES CONSTITUTED SEXUAL HARASSMENT AND WHAT KIND OF
ACTIONS THEY COULD TAKE IN ORDER TO STOP IT AND HAVE IT SO THAT
IT DOESN'T HARM THEIR CAREER AND LIVELIHOOD.
>> I WANT TO STEP BACK FOR VIEWERS AND GIVE CONTEXT.
THE HASHTAG METOO MOVEMENT WE HEARD A LOT ABOUT IN OCTOBER IN
THE WAKE OF THE FACT THAT ALISA MILANO TWEETED OUT.
BUT THE ORIGINED STARTED WITH A WOMAN NAMED TERANA BURKE.
THERE WAS FRUSTRATION AMONG THE AFRICAN-AMERICAN COMMUNITY
ESPECIALLY BECAUSE BURKE HAD DONE WORK AROUND THIS ISSUE,
WORKED WITH CHILDREN WHO HAD BEEN VICTIMIZED.
THE AFRICAN-AMERICAN COMMUNITY SAID WHERE WERE THE WHITE
FEMINISTS WHEN BURKE WAS RAISING THIS AS A PROBLEM?
? >> OFTENTIMES THESE THINGS
EXPLODE.
WE DON'T KNOW WHY.
THE FACT THAT AN ACTRESS CAME OUT WITH THESE ALLEGATIONS.
THERE WAS THE "NEW YORK TIMES" STORY.
THERE WERE A LOT OF ALLEGATIONS TOWARD HARVEY WEINSTEIN AND
OTHERS AT THAT TIME.
I THINK IT DOESN'T HURT THAT IT WAS A FAMOUS ACTRESS THAT PUT
HER NAME TO THE MOVEMENT.
BURKE WAS NOT FAMOUS.
>> IT IS IN A SENSE BRANDING AN ISSUE CAN HELP, SOMETHING GRAVE
LIKE THE METOO OR SOMETHING SIMPLE, THIS IS NOT A NEW
CONCEPT IN OUR CULTURE.
>> IN SOCIAL MOVEMENTS IN GENERAL, THEY DON'T TAKE OFF
UNTIL THE SILENT MAJORITY GETS ON BOARD.
THAT'S HOW THE CIVIL RIGHTS LEGISLATION GOT TO BE PASSED.
SUDDENLY THE PEOPLE IN THE SILENT MAJORITY WERE ON THE SIDE
OF CIVIL RIGHTS.
SUDDENLY THERE WAS PRESSURE TO PASS LEGISLATION.
>> DO WE KNOW FROM A LEGAL PERSPECTIVE, IS IT MORE
DIFFICULT OR IS IT LESS LIKELY THAT A WOMAN OF COLOR OR PERSON
OF COLOR WHO HAS BEEN VICTIMIZED WILL STEP FORWARD?
>> I THINK WOMEN IN COLOR ARE IN POSITIONS THAT WHERE THEY ARE
LOW-INCOME POSITIONS.
I THINK THERE'S A GREATER LIKELIHOOD OF THEM BEING
VICTIMIZED AND BEING SCARED TO COME FORWARD BECAUSE THERE ARE
RAMIFICATIONS OF BRINGING A LAWSUIT.
IT'S PUBLIC.
IT'S -- AND THEN IF THEY REPORT IT TO THEIR EMPLOYER, WHICH
UNDER MANY CIRCUMSTANCES YOU'RE REQUIRED TO DO IF IT'S A
CO-WORKER, THEN THE EMPLOYER MIGHT TAKE RETALIATORY ACTIONS.
FOR A PERSON WHO IS LOW INCOME, MAYBE FACE DISCRIMINATION
BECAUSE OF THEIR RACE ALREADY, AND HAVE DIFFICULTIES FINDING A
JOB, THEY MIGHT NOT WANT TO TAKE THAT RISK.
>> LET'S TALK ABOUT THE LAWS IN PLACE IN MASSACHUSETTS.
SPECIFICALLY THAT CAN HELP PEOPLE WHO HAVE BEEN VICTIMS OF
SEXUAL HARASSMENT OR SEXUAL ASSAULT.
WHAT SHOULD THEY DO?
>> THE FIRST PLACE THAT -- OR THEY MUST GO BEFORE FILING IN
COURT IS THE MASSACHUSETTS COMMISSION AGAINST
DISCRIMINATION.
>> I KNOW YOU HAVE INTERNED WITH AND HAVE EXPERIENCE WITH.
>> YES.
I INTERNED THERE AND WE HAVE FILED MANY, MANY COMPLAINTS AND
HAD CASES RESOLVED THERE.
YOU HAVE TO DO IT WITHIN 300 DAYS OF THE -- THEY SAY THE LAST
DISCRIMINATORY ACT, WHICH I THINK IS INTERESTING LANGUAGE
BECAUSE IN SEXUAL HARASSMENT CASES IN PARTICULAR, THERE ARE
SO MANY ACTS THAT LEAD UP TO A PERSON SAYING, THIS IS SEXUAL
HARASSMENT.
SO IT CAN BE DIFFICULT, ESPECIALLY FOR SEXUAL
HARASSMENT, TO DETERMINE WHEN YOU NEED TO REPORT IT, WHICH IS
WHY I THINK IT'S GREAT WITH THE TIME'S UP, IT BRINGS EXPOSURE TO
THIS ISSUE AND MORE PEOPLE HAVE BEEN COMING FORWARD EARLIER SO
THAT WE CAN SAY THESE ARE THE ACTIONS YOU NEED TO TAKE EARLY
ON AND THE SEXUAL HARASSMENT TO PROTECT OURSELF.
>> I THINK HAVING THE HASHTAG METOO MOVEMENT IS SO USEFUL
RIGHT NOW BECAUSE WHAT IT'S DOING IS IT'S HELPING AN ENTIRE
GENERATION OF WOMEN BE -- AND MEN -- BE ABLE TO DEFINE ACTS
THAT THEY KNEW WERE OFF, THEY KNEW THERE WAS SOMETHING WRONG,
THEY FELT UNCOMFORTABLE BUT WEREN'T SURE WHETHER IT REACHED
ANY LEGAL STANDARD OF SEXUAL HARASSMENT OR EVEN ASSAULT,
REALLY, BECAUSE WHEN THINGS ARE FUZZY LIKE THAT, IT'S REALLY
HARD TO FILE A CLAIM, TO SAY THIS IS CLEAR, I'M GOING TO FILE
THIS CLAIM WITHIN A SHORT DEADLINE.
SO THE MORE PUBLICITY THERE IS ABOUT KIND OF WHAT CONSTITUTES
SEXUAL HARASSMENT OR SEXUAL ASSAULT, THE EASIER IT WILL BE
FOR PEOPLE TO ACTUALLY DECIDE THAT THIS REACHES THE STANDARD
AND THEY SHOULD ACT.
EVEN WHEN THAT'S CLEAR, IT'S STILL REALLY HARD.
>> HOLLYWOOD DIDN'T ORIGINATE THE METOO MOVEMENT.
DID HELP TO RAISE AWARENESS ABOUT SEXUAL HARASSMENT AND
ASSAULT ALLEGATIONS IN TINSELTOWN AND BEYOND.
THIS FRIDAY, AN INVESTIGATION EXPLORES ALLEGATIONS MADE
AGAINST HARVEY WEINSTEIN.
TUNE IN AT 9:00 P.M.
FOR THAT REPORT.