Hollywood Creates An 'Anti-Sexual Harassment' Hot line Amidst Weinstein Scandal
It was previously reported that a few Hollywood A-list women such as Oprah Winfrey, Reese Witherspoon, and Natalie Portman were banning together to put an end to sexual harassment and abuse in Hollywood, along with some female producers. Now, it looks like the revolution is coming into flouring.
New reports state that Hollywood is taking a step into making the studios a safe environment for everyone again. In response to the 'me too' hashtag, a march led by television writer Tess Rafferty took place on Sunday and showcased the intolerance of the industry turning a blind eye to the on-going epidemic. A hotline and legal service will also be launched by Oscar winning producer Cathy Schulman for those who have been affected by harassment.
These services will be up and running by Dec. 1.
While this will help in correcting a mistake that has long gone unnoticed, it should be noted how difficult it will be to expect change in an industry that has been seemingly corrupt for years.
"We know how hard it's going to be to change this culture," television journalist, Lauren Sivan stated. Sivan also accused Harvey Weinstein of performing a lewd act in front of her. "But I honestly never thought we'd have made this much progress in talking about it, so I'm also optimistic," she continued.
The hashtag, 'me too' was a viral trend that started on Twitter, thanks to actress Alyssa Milano. She created the movement after allegations against Weinstein were brought to light.
Since then, numerous other men in Hollywood have been accused of abusing or harassing men and women. Kevin Spacey, Dustin Hoffman, Richard Dreyfuss, Brett Ratner and Louis C.K. have all been named as predators by certain actors and actresses.
Weinstein was specifically accused by actresses, Angelina Jolie, Gwyneth Paltrow, Lupita Nyong'o and Rose McGowan.
Since the allegations, most of the men accused have been dropped by their companies and projects they were working on. Spacey has been replaced by actor Christopher Plummer in the movie All the Money in the World, a movie he already filmed all his scenes for. In addition, the hit Netflix drama House of Cards is in talks of replacing or continuing forward without Spacey.
The women who are behind this movement hope that this opens the door for equality not only in Hollywood, but every work place in America.
"We now have awareness among a core group. Now we have to make sure we're not just reaching the choir but the congregation," Rafferty concluded.
