Guest Commentary: The Weaponization of #metoo…I refuse to be your Victim

By Cua Lo-Ly

It has been almost five years since the #MeToo movement picked up global momentum with a tweet from Hollywood star Alyssa Milano.  On October 15, 2017, Milano, in an act I’m certain she never expected to gain the traction it ultimately did, she tweeted “If you’ve been sexually harassed or assaulted write ‘me too’ as a reply to this tweet.”

Within days, supporters around the globe latched on and began to use the hashtag as a gesture of their solidarity with women who had been the victims of sexual harassment, and it became the primary rallying cry at marches and protests around the world.  Milano (probably inadvertently) provided the movement with a unifying maxim, and it changed the power dynamics within Hollywood and beyond.

Now, over four years later, it is becoming increasingly more evident that the original goal of the #MeToo movement, to criminalize the behavior of sexual deviants and punish powerful predators like Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein, USA Gymnastics doctor Larry Nassar, Hollywood superstar Kevin Spacey and Today Show host Matt Lauer, has been compromised and the movement has been weaponized with the new goal being to sabotage political opponents and circumvent the judicial system in favor of letting the damaging (and potentially fabricated) accusations of misconduct play out in the court of public opinion.

Examples of this alarming trend are playing out in political races all cross the country, from Supreme Court nomination hearings to Presidential races, and social media hashtag attacks are replacing negative political television ads in forcing voters to rethink opinions on candidates.

And it is happening right here in Elk Grove.

My husband, former Elk Grove Mayor and 25-year Sacramento resident Steve Ly, has formally announced his candidacy for the District 5 seat on the Sacramento County Board of Supervisors.  Throughout his tenure, he has been a vocal advocate for women and women’s rights.  He was the first, and still the only man, to have served as the Vice President on the board of a local women’s non-profit for domestic violence. He was one of the first recognized supporters and mentors of the Hmong Women-Today, a community organization aiming to create opportunities for women to connect, empower and thrive. As a result of his fundraising, lobbying, mentoring and, above all else, his unconditional conviction to uplift and empower women around him, my husband has been directly responsible for delivering a boost to the campaigns of many local women and providing them the wonderful opportunity to serve our communities.

Yet his clear and obvious track record of advocating for women has not stopped a group of vocal disparagers from attempting to undermine his accomplishments and sabotage our lives by making unsubstantiated and unsupported allegations of harassment against him during his previous mayoral campaign and his current run for the Board of Supervisors seat.

The previous attempt to undermine his campaign was ultimately proven by the grand jury to be nothing more than a manipulation of the public trust, a gross violation of public funds and a shameful effort to intentionally manipulate the public narrative for political gain. And these types of dishonest manipulations not only have a tendency to destabilize small-town democracy but also serve to threaten the foundation of a movement that was originally established for a constructive and moral purpose.

The current attacks on him (like the previous attacks) are playing out locally on social media platforms where there is no accountability for dishonesty, deceit and duplicity. Innocent and harmless individuals who speak out because they are sick and tired of the fabrications and smears disguised as #MeToo accusations are instantly branded by the real mob as gangsters, thugs and hoodlums.

If we continue to allow these charlatans to cry wolf with false political alarms and imaginary public dangers, we are risking that real claims involving real corruption sometime in the future will create a sense of public disbelief and will ultimately be ignored and that will consequently result in our citizens being eaten alive by a pack of unscrupulous, hungry wolves masquerading as #MeToo victims.

Ms. Cua Lo-Ly is an Elk Grove resident and educator with the Elk Grove Unified School District.