Time’s Up: Hollywood’s Most Powerful Women Launch Anti-Harassment Action Plan

More than 300 women, including A-listers like Meryl Streep, Natalie Portman, and Reese Witherspoon, have taken a stand against sexual harassment and assault in Hollywood.

The women, who hail from different fields from the entertainment industry, have kick started the year by launching a campaign to fight sexual misconduct in show business and blue-collar workplaces across the country.

This initiative comes in the wake of a sexual assault storm that recently engulfed Hollywood and will serve as a companion to the #MeToo movement. The hashtag urged dozens of men and women to come forth with their allegations of sexual assault against high-profile men in the industry, including Harvey Weinstein, Dustin Hoffman, and Kevin Spacey.

The Time's Up Campaign

The campaign, called "Time's Up," helps women come forward with their experiences of sexual assault and harassment and aims to promote equality and safety in the workplace.

The initiative was announced on Monday, Jan. 1, along with an open letter that included signatures from the likes of Reese Witherspoon, Jennifer Aniston, Natalie Portman, Taylor Swift, Shonda Rhimes, Meryl Streep, Emma Stone, and Ashley Judd.

"The struggle for women to break in, to rise up the ranks and to simply be heard and acknowledged in male-dominated workplaces must end; time's up on this impenetrable monopoly," the letter read.

The campaign also aims to push for laws that punish companies that fail to take action against sexual misconduct in the workplace and to fight against the use of non-disclosure agreements that protect the sexual abusers.

$13 Million Defense Fund

Time's Up also includes the setting up of a $13 million Legal Defense Fund led by high-profile attorneys Roberta Kaplan and Tina Tchen, whose CV includes working as Michelle Obama's chief of staff.

The fund will provide legal support to sexual misconduct and harassment victims who otherwise would not have been able to afford legal representation and also protect them from the consequences that may arise from reporting sexual abuse. A GoFundMe page set up for the fund has already raised more than $13.7 million in donations.

Several celebrities, including Kerry Washington, Selena Gomez, and Brie Larson took to Twitter to announce the launch of the Time's Up campaign. Check out their social media posts below:

Tags

Time's Up, Sexual Harassment, Sexual abuse