Week 5 Blog Post

The Crip Camp documentary centered around the passing of Section 504 and how it served as a firm foundation for future rights and protections for the disabled community. It evoked a lot of legal action, which in regard to the Me Too Movement, is a good first step to lead into future action. Within the Me Too Movement, a reform of the Congressional Accountability Act of 1995 was passed, which required lawmakers to be pay out of their own money to settle sexual misconduct court judgments and settlements. The bill also removed obstacles for accusers such as forced counseling and mediation, as well as a mandatory cooling-off period. The bill also added protection for interns and fellows, who weren't previously included in the 1995 version of the law. While these additions weren't entirely what advocates pushed for or wanted, they do add a major upgrade to the law that was previously legislated, one that protected harassers instead of helping victims. The bill did fall short in a number of ways: it did not hold lawmakers financially accountable for settlements related to discrimination, did not provide victims with legal counsel/representation, and did not include an independent investigation at the start of the review process. While it was a mere start, it goes to show that the Me Too Movement had eventually made progress politically.