Q&A
Impact of the Me Too movement on Bridget Anne Kelly's experience
9:09:15
·
160 sec
Council Member Amanda Farías asks Bridget Anne Kelly if her experience with Randy Mastro and the Bridgegate scandal would have been viewed differently if it had occurred after the Me Too movement. Kelly responds that it likely would have been, as the movement has made people more comfortable speaking out about sexism and discrimination in the workplace.
- Kelly discusses how the silence of her colleagues at the time was deafening and how the Me Too movement has given women more confidence to come forward.
- She expresses regret that the incident happened at all, stating it ruined her life.
- Kelly emphasizes that her personal relationships had nothing to do with the Bridgegate incident, contrary to what Mastro's report suggested.
Amanda Farías
9:09:15
Thank you for testifying today, miss Kelly.
9:09:18
Just a couple of thoughts run through my head.
9:09:20
1, I do wanna double down on what the speaker said.
9:09:23
Thank you for being here.
9:09:24
We applaud you for being here.
9:09:26
It's brave.
9:09:28
This if this incident occurred a few years this incident occurred a few years before the Me Too movement.
9:09:35
Do you think your experience would have been viewed differently if it happened today?
Bridget Anne Kelly
9:09:40
I do.
9:09:41
And and I'd only say that because, unfortunately, I think situations where there is sexism or slut shaming happens probably every day in the office.
9:09:52
And it's not just women.
9:09:53
It's now happening.
9:09:54
Women and men.
9:09:55
It's discrimination.
9:09:56
It's everything.
9:09:57
But I think because famous people started doing it, people felt more comfortable to talk about it.
9:10:04
And so for me, when it happened, it was kinda like And again, there are a lot of people afraid of Chris Christie, so a lot of people that I know who claimed to be all these women's rights and all my Republican friends all forgot to say something when the report came out, and they still have forgotten to say things.
9:10:21
That report was placed blatantly sexist.
9:10:24
And the silence was defending men too.
9:10:26
And I think it was under I think people are still threatened.
9:10:29
So I give any woman that comes forward so much credit because it's not easy.
9:10:36
And I never felt what's so funny, and I think back, I never felt that intimidated in the office because I was so confident at my job.
9:10:45
I really was very good at my job, and I'm not a confident person.
9:10:47
I'm not an ego maniac.
9:10:49
I loved what I did, and I worked with both sides of the aisle.
9:10:52
I never felt you know, I mean, there's legislators, there's this, there's always something, but I never was I never needed anybody's approval because I was good at what I did.
9:11:01
And so I think that because really big stars started to come out, and it came out that really big names were being abusive to women.
9:11:13
I think it gave women the confidence.
9:11:15
So I'm not saying that I wish this would have happened a year or 2 later.
9:11:19
I wish it never happened because it really did ruin my life in hope he can sleep at night, but because I can't.
9:11:25
But at the end of the day, I think it would have been handled differently, but I also I would hope no no attorney or anybody would ever go there again.
9:11:36
None of anybody's business.
9:11:38
And and and my personal relationship had 0 to do.
9:11:42
And he said it again today, oh, it was her state of mind.
9:11:45
Who is he to talk about my state of mind?
9:11:49
Right now, Yeah.
9:11:50
Sure.
9:11:50
You can talk about my state of mind.
9:11:52
I am in PTSD therapy.
9:11:53
I should be billing him for it.