From Victims to Villains: How Me Too Lost Its Way

For years, the Me Too movement dominated headlines, taking down powerful men and shifting the conversation around sexual misconduct. It began with a righteous cause—giving voice to survivors who had been silenced. But somewhere along the way, it lost its way.

When accusations became weapons, due process was abandoned, and regret was mistaken for assault, the movement started to crumble under its own contradictions. Now, with Harvey Weinstein's conviction under scrutiny, and high-profile cases like Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni exposing the recklessness of false allegations, it’s time to admit:

Me Too has done harm, and the movement as we know it must end or reevaluate what it stands for?

It is possible that intent of the movement was to hold real abusers accountable and get justice for real victims of abuse. But the definition of abuse quickly expanded to include any uncomfortable sexual experience, any regretted night, and any encounter where power dynamics were at play. That's where the movement started to lose credibility.

Transactional relationships: There are situations where a person may consent to something in exchange for career advancement or other benefits. It's complicated, because power abuse is still wrong, but it doesn’t mean the relationship was entirely non-consensual.

Mimi Haleyi: She accused Harvey Weinstein of sexual assault in 2006. New evidence has shown that after the alleged assault, Haleyi continued to contact Weinstein, seeking career opportunities.

Take Harvey Weinstein. The disgraced Hollywood mogul is not a saint, he undoubtedly used his influence to pressure women into sex. But here’s the complication: many of these women continued relationships with him afterward, maintaining contact, accepting roles, and benefitting professionally.

Journalist and podcaster Candice Owens is doing an investigative series ahead of Harvey Weinstein's #MeToo retrial, and the question she is posing is: if someone willingly enters a transactional relationship, can they later claim to be victims?

The courts initially said yes, but with Weinstein’s conviction now being reviewed, the question looms—did Me Too blur the line between coercion and choice?

Disgraced Holywood Producer: Harvey Weinstein

In more recent news that have dominated our headlines for months, Justin Baldoni faced allegations of sexual misconduct from actress Blake Lively. Lively publicly accused Baldoni, only for new information to emerge suggesting that the claims might not hold up. If Baldoni’s career had been destroyed before an investigation, what justice would there have been for him?

The reality is, Baldoni may as well be able to defend himself and produce facts, and the court of public opinion may be on his side, as it appears. However, this is something that will forever follow his name. False accusations don’t just ruin reputations; they ruin lives. Yet, there is almost no consequence for women who lie.

It appears that in some of these cases, it was emotions over due process. Matt Lauer, once a respected journalist, was swiftly ousted from NBC following allegations of sexual misconduct. While Lauer admitted to some inappropriate workplace behavior, the speed of his downfall raised concerns. There was no trial, no legal proceedings—just a career destroyed overnight. Is that justice, or mob rule?

Mat Lauer: How Does Due Process Look Like in a #MeToo culture.?

In the early years of the #MeToo movement, there was the Duke lacrosse case, where Crystal Mangum falsely accused three Duke University lacrosse players of rape. The players were declared innocent in 2007 after investigations found no credible evidence supporting her claims. Mangum recently admitted publicly that she fabricated the story.

These aren’t isolated incidents. The court of public opinion now moves faster than actual courts, and when accusations alone are enough to end someone’s life, we have a problem.

Regret vs. Assault: It’s difficult when regret is mistaken for assault. Someone might later regret a choice they made, but regret doesn’t equal rape. It’s crucial to distinguish between a regretful sexual encounter and one that was coerced or forced. Real sexual violence is about being forced into something against your will, and that’s not the same as an uncomfortable experience that you later feel bad about.

Another flaw in Me Too? The way we handle intoxication and consent. A common scenario: a man and woman both get drunk, they have sex, and the next morning, the woman claims she was too intoxicated to consent. But what about the man? If he was just as drunk, why is he always the guilty party? By this logic, shouldn’t he also be a victim of assault?

The hypocrisy is glaring. If we want to have an honest conversation about consent, we must acknowledge that both parties bear responsibility when alcohol is involved. Otherwise, we are selectively punishing men for the same choices women make.

Perhaps the Me Too movement began with noble intentions, but it has spiraled into a reckless machine that punishes before investigating. It has allowed false accusers to thrive, destroyed innocent men’s lives, and undermined the very cause it set out to champion. It’s time for a shift.

Maybe the #HimToo movement is way overdue. It’s a new movement for due course and real justice so that our fathers, brothers, husbands, and sons don't become victims of false allegations and mob justice.

What we need is a movement that values truth over outrage. A movement that recognizes:

• The importance of evidence and due process for accused men.

• The difference between bad experiences, coerced consent, and real sexual violence.

• The need to hold false accusers accountable just as much as real abusers.

Justice is not one-sided. If Me Too won’t acknowledge its flaws, then Him Too must rise in its place.