The “Me Too” movement began in 2007 as a catchphrase to empathize with sexual assault survivors, particularly women of color. This fall, it returned on social media to incite a critical discussion about pervasive sexual discrimination — including incidents that happen in the Capitol Building.

Since the Harvey Weinstein revelations, survivors across demographics and industries have come forward with their stories. Now, the issue has reached Congress as allegations surfaced against Sen. Al Franken (D-Minn.), Rep. John Conyers (D-Mich.) and Alabama’s Republican Senate candidate Roy Moore. They’ve been matched with exposes about the demeaning process involved in filing a complaint against a member of Congress.

And Congress isn’t just acknowledging this dangerous culture in the entertainment industry or among its own members. Before it calls out problems within its constituency, Congress is sparking a cultural shift from the top down and correcting sexual misconduct within its own halls.

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The #MeToo campaign inspired the House and Senate to mandate anti-sexual harassment and anti-discrimination training. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) and Rep. Jackie Speier (D-Calif.) capitalized on that momentum and introduced The Member and Employee Training and Oversight On (ME TOO) Congress Act. The bill would increase transparency in the harassment reporting process and implement more ethical parameters for assessing and responding to incidents of sexual misconduct.

The move comes after Gillibrand co-sponsored the bipartisan ME TOO Congress Act, which was introduced to combat sexual harassment and assault on Capitol Hill.

Kristi Andersen, professor emerita of political science in the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs at Syracuse University, pointed out how important revamping the complaint process is to changing harassment culture in Congress.

“This is critical for any organization — we’ve seen in the past few weeks how women in all sorts of places have had their complaints ignored or not believed, or worse — that their jobs were jeopardized when they complained about sexual harassment,” Andersen said in an email.

Andersen added that the legislation is important, but that it “can’t solve the problem” since it is broad and rooted in gender roles and practices.

Gillibrand is a prime role model for this cultural shift. She’s a longtime advocate for sexual assault survivors and has taken major steps to combat sexual assault among college students and military personnel. And she’s continued that commitment by supporting recent accusers and donating campaign funds she received from Franken to Protect Our Defenders, an organization aimed at ending rape in the military.

Bipartisan legislation like Gillibrand’s ME TOO Act is essential in the fight against sexual harassment, but it’s only one facet of the more complex challenge of resisting the prevalent normalization of sexual discrimination we face today. The fact remains that those who come forward with stories of sexual assault are often still not believed and even shamed. And politicians accused of sexual misconduct are still elected to office.

President Donald Trump has several allegations of sexual misconduct against him. And recent polls show Moore, who was accused of pursuing underage girls in his thirties, is the top contender for an Alabama Senate seat.

As important as the ME TOO Act is, the greater fight against sexual discrimination cannot stop if it passes. A cultural shift around sexual harassment and sexual politics is needed to combat this issue. Only then will we truly experience a “watershed moment” in how we combat sexual harassment and assault in the workplace and beyond.

C.C. Hendricks is a doctoral student in composition and cultural rhetoric. Her column appears biweekly. You can reach her at crhen100@syr.edu.

Published on November 26, 2017 at 11:11 pm