More than 300 women in Hollywood—actresses, writers, and directors—have launched a campaign called “Time’s Up!” to combat sexual harassment in the film industry and in the workplace. The initiative was announced in a full-page advertorial printed in the New York Times.
The campaign came after the many sexual allegations against men in Hollywood like Harvey Weinstein, Louis C.K., and Kevin Spacey that surfaced last year. The campaign, which is supported by powerful names in the industry like Shonda Rhimes, Meryl Streep, America Ferrera, Reese Witherspoon, and Natalie Portman among many others, states that “The clock has run out on sexual assault, harassment and inequality in the workplace. It’s time to do something about it.”
Time’s Up! will provide subsidized legal support to both female and male victims of sexual harassment in the workplace. The funds will be housed and administered the National Women’s Law Center, an established women’s rights legal organization in the USA. There will also be a “network of lawyers and public relations professionals” that will “provide assistance to those ready to stand up.”
In a solidarity letter published in their website, Times Up! states that:
“We want all survivors of sexual harassment, everywhere, to be heard, to be believed, and to know that accountability is possible. We also want all victims and survivors to access justice and support for the wrongdoing they have endured. We particularly want to lift up the voices, power, and strength of women working in low-wage industries where the lack of financial stability makes them vulnerable to high rates of gender-based violence and exploitation.”
The campaign is leaderless, focusing instead on being a community that supports one another. It is run entirely by volunteers and made up of working groups. One such group managed the creation of an anti-sexual harassment commission in the film industry. The commission, first announced in December, is led by Anita Hill and backed by executives like Lucasfilm’s Kathleen Kennedy (who proposed its creation), Disney’s Bog Iger, and Paramount’s Jim Gianopulos.
As of this writing, Time’s Up! has already received $14,060,244 of their $15.0M goal, which was raised by 6,514 people in 13 days. A list of the Hollywood personalities who donated to the campaign can be found here.
People have expressed their support for the campaign:
Time's up on silence. Time's up on tolerating. I stand with women across every industry to say #TIMESUP on abuse, harassment, marginalization and underrepresentation. Sign the statement of solidarity & donate to @timesupnw Legal Defense Fund: https://t.co/l2TQSC5N5g pic.twitter.com/JvOOq0aXms
— Gillian Anderson (@GillianA) January 1, 2018
https://twitter.com/ConstanceWu/status/947889171447689216
I stand beside all allies to say #TimesUp on sexual harassment, assault, underrepresentation, and discrimination. Join me in supporting the @TimesUpNW Legal Defense Fund. We are stronger together. https://t.co/QciuPYTMPy
— Billie Jean King (@BillieJeanKing) January 2, 2018
https://twitter.com/BARFH/status/947869666113916928
Check out what these fearless women are doing. “It’s very hard for us to speak righteously about the rest of anything if we haven’t cleaned our own house,” said @shondarhimes. #TimesUp. https://t.co/Cq4Fk81UtB
— Valerie Jarrett (@ValerieJarrett) January 1, 2018
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