Weinstein trial is a milestone for #MeToo and a moment of wrenching truth for survivors
LOS ANGELES - For the past two years, Louise Godbold has been living in a state of heightened tension.
In interview after interview, the former commercial producer has shared what she said happened to her 29 years ago in an empty New York meeting room with Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein, and then again at the Beverley Hills Hotel. Each retelling surfaced feelings of anxiety and numbness, and at times she questioned whether sharing her story was worth it. Even a friend accused her of making Weinstein a scapegoat for a movement, #MeToo, that they believed had gone too far.
This month Godbold plans to watch as Weinstein is tried in Manhattan on five sex crime charges from two separate incidents in 2006 and 2013. She is one of more than 80 other women who have accused Weinstein of sexual misconduct. Last week, Los Angeles County prosecutors filed four additional sexual assault charges against Weinstein, who has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing.
"He has to be convicted," said Godbold, a Los Angeles resident who has spent the last 20 years helping trauma survivors through various social programs.
