#MeToo: Real change is coming at a local level

Andrea Johnson has heard some horrifying stories.

There was the lawmaker demanding nude photos from an underling, then flaming her all over town when she reported him. There were the six women who testified that a senator made unwanted and relentless passes at them. These things have been going on in state capitols across America for ages.

It used to be that Johnson, 34, a senior counsel specialising in state policy for the National Women’s Law Centre, got calls from one or two states every year. They were dealing with a pregnancy discrimination issue or maybe equal pay. “But then my work pretty dramatically shifted with Harvey Weinstein and the #MeToo movement.”

AP counted 76 legislators accused in less than two years, allegations that made states want to clean up their own acts.

“Legislators — both Republicans and Democrats — wanted to do something. Unfortunately, sexual harassment is a near-universal experience that crosses party lines.”

Two years after the Women’s March of 2017, Congress has done little or nothing to address workplace harassment, letting the biggest piece of legislation — the Empower Act — fester. But more than 100 state bills have been introduced in the past year to deal with sexual harassment at work. Eleven US states passed meaningful measures. And dozens more are on deck.

Speed is essential, Johnson is learning. Because in today’s bananas news cycle, “the #MeToo movement can peter out. It’s already happening.”

So she’s hoping to make progress within the tiny window that our ADHD culture allows.