Five years after the #MeToo movement exposed pervasive sexual harassment and abuse in politics, show business and many other industries, cases playing out in California courtrooms are revealing how difficult it is for women to come forward with accusations against powerful men. They’re experiencing verbal abuse, fighting shame, and confronting fears of retaliation.
California’s First Partner Jennifer Siebel Newsom, a documentary filmmaker who was an aspiring actress in the early 2000s, is displaying remarkable bravery by participating in the Los Angeles rape trial of Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein, who is accused of assault by eight women. His defense attorney described Siebel Newsom in court Monday as a “bimbo” who traded sex for career advancement in Hollywood. And that was just on the trial’s opening day. The insults and innuendos will probably get nastier when Siebel Newsom takes the stand in the weeks ahead.
With four children ages 6 to 13, and husband Gov. Gavin Newsom campaigning for reelection, it would be understandable if Siebel Newsom chose to hide the details of her 18-year-old rape allegation from the public by declining to participate in Weinstein’s trial. Nothing requires her to relive the nightmare on the stand. Her family life would undoubtedly be simpler if she buried the memories and stayed quiet.
