Weinstein trial frames gendered justice for all

Everyone has an opinion on the case against Harvey Weinstein, the 67-year old who had more than a dozen women he had worked with over the years accuse him of sexual assault in 2017. Weinstein is facing “five counts in Manhattan Supreme Court, including two counts of predatory sexual assault, one count of a criminal sexual act in the first degree, one count of first-degree rape, and one count of third-degree rape,” from incidents ranging from 2006-2013 (The Cut).

Weinstein insists that he is being wrongly charged and attests to his innocence. Activist groups were seen protesting on January 10 for women’s rights and are arguing with courts that side against those who survived rape and had the courage to come forward and share their experience.

In order to make a decision, jurors are being called to witness the trial and in- form the judge of their decision, affecting the sentencing of the perpetrator. The process of picking jurors has been a very lengthy process, as they have to select citizens who will make a decision based on the evidence and do not walk into the jury box with their decisions already made. As of January 16, seven out of twelve were selected.

No matter the outcome of the trial, having competent jurors who are not biased has been a challenge for this case and many similar cases. Many people’s backgrounds, political views, and occupations have been known to play a large part in their choices. So, finding someone willing to put those things aside to make a well-grounded factual decision has become extremely difficult at this time in history.

This trial has come at a very unique time, as women’s rights activists have become more prevalent within to- day’s society, due to the increase of media attention to cases likes Weinstein’s. If Weinstein walks away not guilty, the world will have serious questions and many com- plaints to the justice system in Manhattan.

Rape and sexual assault cases almost never actually make it in front of the public eye because they rarely arrive at a trial, and “out of every 1000 Sexual Assault, 995 perpetrators will walk free,” (RAINN). When considering that “one in six American women has been the victim of an attempted or completed rape in her lifetime,” a change needs to hap- pen within the court system to ensure that each case is given a fair trial (RAINN). There needs to be justice for women that are violated and affected by rape.

The names of Weinstein’s fe- male accusers have not been released as of January 16, but they are expected to come forward and give testimony during his trial. The trial will also be broadcasted, and is sure to fill headlines with updates provided to the public. Whatever decision the jurors make will impact Weinstein’s life and the over- all rights of women victimized by rape. Society still has the tendency to shame women who were violated and side against them, and it’s time that justice is served. If the Weinstein case has had any ‘positive’ ramifications, it would be the raising of public awareness through the #MeTooMovement as Hollywood actresses and their advocates stepped forward en masse to end this pig’s reign of terror. As Ricky Gervais pointed out at the Golden Globes, Hollywood turned in a blind eye. Those decisions tend to come back and bite a person.

By Isabella Gabavics

Published January 27th, 2020

Oshkosh West Index Volume 116 Issue 4