With the midterm elections fast approaching, He Who Shall Not Be Named in the White House, and an accused sexual abuser being the newest Supreme Court Justice, the stakes are very high in American politics right now — and the women honored at Variety’s recent Power of Women luncheon are well aware of it. Natalie Portman, Lena Waithe, Tiffany Haddish, Regina King, and gun control advocate Emma Gonzalez were recognized for their non-profit and activist work and the women used their acceptance speeches as calls to action, per Variety
Celebrated for her leadership via Time’s Up, Portman spoke for many of us by voicing her view on Brett Kavanaugh (“It’s been a rough couple of weeks, I don’t sleep.”) but reminded the audience that his confirmation has just added more fuel to the Time’s Up movement (“We had an incredible week … We welcomed our first president and CEO Lisa Borders.”).
The Oscar winner’s speech also presented guidelines on improving women’s representation on and off camera, such as avoiding depicting violence against women, donating to Time’s Up, and hiring three women in positions that are usually held by men.
Portman also named some names. She revealed Brett Ratner and his lawyer, Marty Singer, dropped a defamation case against Ratner accuser Melanie Kohler because she received legal defense aid from Time’s Up. “[Ratner] saw that she could not be bullied legally just because he has hundreds of millions of dollars and she does not,” Portman said.
Harvey Weinstein came up in her speech as well. Portman decried the Manhattan DA’s decision to drop a case against the disgraced mogul, and lamented the fact that Weinstein’s bullying tactics against his victims deprived the industry of a lot of talent.
Referring to Weinstein and other predators who disparage the women they’ve wronged, Portman added, “Stop the rhetoric that a woman is crazy or difficult.” She explained, “If a man says a woman is crazy or difficult, ask him, ‘What bad thing did you do to her?’ That’s a code word. He is trying to discredit her reputation.”
“Many men are behaving like we live in a zero-sum game. That if women get the respect, access, and value we deserve, they will lose. But we know the message of the mammaries: The more milk you give, the more milk you make,” Portman concluded. “The more love you give, the more love you have. And the same can be said of fire. When you light someone else’s torch with your own, you don’t lose your fire, you just make more light and more heat. Light a woman’s torch,” she said. “The light will multiply and the heat will intensify for all of us.”
Portman’s speech brought the house down and even prompted a “Natalie Portman 2020!” from King when she accepted her own prize. King was recognized for her efforts with the I Have A Dream Foundation, a program providing social, emotional, and academic support to young people from low-income communities. She emphasized that lifting up marginalized communities is essential to achieving equality. “You cannot feel or understand real power unless you feel what it means to empower,” the “Seven Seconds” actress stated.
Waithe — who was honored for her work with The Trevor Project, an org providing crisis intervention and suicide prevention services for LGBTQ young people — was adamant that, no matter what, women would not go back to the days when men decided and controlled everything. Thanks to #MeToo and #TimesUp, “we decided to rise up and scream at the top of our lungs and become a chorus of rebels that won’t be treated like second class citizens,” “The Chi” creator said. “We can’t afford to go back. The next generation of artists, writers, actors, directors, and activists will look at this time and know that when we had a chance to make a change… we did.”
The Emmy-winning writer also took a moment to applaud the community women have built during the past year. “I can’t remember a time in this industry when women have huddled together,” Waithe explained. “When we’ve all gotten on the same page. When we’ve gotten on group emails and text threads. Not just to discuss strategy, but to share baby photos and encouraging words.”
Haddish, recognized for her support of The Unusual Suspects Theatre Company, an LA theater collective mentoring underserved youth, spoke candidly about the importance of embracing your own identity and loving yourself. She said she was fortunate to meet “a lot of people along the way that mentioned I needed to be me. I thought I was a white woman for a long time. I’m not. I did my 23AndMe,” Haddish quipped. “You become a bitter-ass bitch, when you being somebody you not.”
March For Our Lives activist and Parkland shooting survivor Gonzalez urged the lunch’s guests to use their platform to set an example for others. “Everybody in this room is in a unique position. You can and have inspired peace and understanding,” she declared. “You can inspire your audience to vote.”
The 10th Annual Variety Power of Women luncheon was held Friday in Beverly Hills. Jenifer Lewis of “black-ish” hosted, and Gina Rodriguez, Gina Prince-Bythewood, #MeToo founder Tarana Burke, Molly Ringwald, Alyssa Milano, and SAG/AFTRA president Gabrielle Carteris were among the presenters and guests.
