Pending Senate Vote on CDA a Critical Test of Movement’s Power
While it may feel like old news now, the revelations about sexual harassment and abuse perpetrated against dozens of women by Harvey Weinstein have had important and far-reaching ripple effects. Suddenly, an ocean of women’s narratives about sexual injustice and abuse long held back by walls of apathy, power, and collusion seemed to give way to powerful collective shouts of #MeToo. The ensuing tidal waves of remonstration toppled a long list of media and political elites from their perches of power; protests were staged; TV shows born; task forces launched; and corporate policy shifted.
From the sea of black dresses and white roses, hope now glimmers that the underlying structures sustaining sexual abuse and exploitation are collapsing.
Yet, this is a fragile hope and a test of its survival currently faces the U.S. Senate.
If there is a single legislative test of the strength of our national resolve to deliver on the promise of #MeToo, then surely it is the battle over passage of the much needed FOSTA-SESTA legislative package that would amend the Communications Decency Act to fight online sex trafficking.
With such a virtuous sounding name, some may wonder what the Communications Decency Act (CDA) has to do with sexual exploitation and trafficking. The answer is, quite a lot.
