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Round-Up: The Latest Writing on Hollywood Rape Culture

Rose McGowan: Instagram

The press is finally addressing Hollywood’s sexual assault problem, a subject that’s been swept under the rug for far too long. Admittedly, there have been journalists and outlets dedicated to highlighting this issue for years, but for the most part, Hollywood’s sexual assault problem hasn’t received much attention. But now, thanks in large part to the women who’ve come forward with their Harvey Weinstein horror stories, the tables have turned. More predators are being called out. More survivors are sharing their experiences. And we’re finally having more frequent and open conversations about victim-blaming, toxic masculinity, and so much more. These discussions are long-overdue, but they are happening. This isn’t the beginning of this movement and it isn’t the end — we have so far left to go.

Here are some of the latest developments in the press regarding Hollywood’s rape culture. Bear in mind that these are just some of the conversations going on right now — this compilation is far from exhaustive.

“Weighing the Costs of Speaking Out About Harvey Weinstein” (Ronan Farrow, The New Yorker)

“All told, more than fifty women have now levelled accusations against Weinstein, in accounts published by the New York Times, The New Yorker, and other outlets. But many other victims have continued to be reluctant to talk to me about their experiences, declining interview requests or initially agreeing to talk and then wavering. As more women have come forward, the costs of doing so have certainly shifted. But many still say that they face overwhelming pressures to stay silent, ranging from the spectre of career damage to fears about the life-altering consequences of being marked as sexual-assault victims. ‘Now when I go to a restaurant or to an event, people are going to know that this happened to me,’ [Annabella] Sciorra said. ‘They’re gonna look at me and they’re gonna know. I’m an intensely private person, and this is the most unprivate thing you can do.’”

“Roman Polanski to Attend Retrospective in Paris Despite Protest” (Kim Willsher, The Guardian)

“The film director Roman Polanski will attend a retrospective of his life’s work in Paris on Monday in spite of planned protests and new rape allegations against him. A leading French feminist organization has called for a demonstration outside the Cinémathèque Française when the event opens after a petition to cancel it failed. The tribute was described in the petition as ‘indecent’ and an insult to victims of assault mobilized by the #MeToo campaign. ‘It’s an affront to all rape victims, and particularly Polanski’s victims,’ it reads. ‘Polanski deserves dishonor, not honors.’”

“Refusing Weinstein’s Hush Money, Rose McGowan Calls Out Hollywood” (Susan Dominus, The New York Times)

“To some degree, [Rose McGowan] had shielded herself from the news. But when she learned how many women had stepped forward to complain of assault or harassment by Mr. Weinstein, she said: ‘I knew we are legion. We are legion.’ She had been corresponding lately with Asia Argento, an Italian actress who also accused Mr. Weinstein of sexual assault (and was subsequently shamed by the Italian press). ‘It feels,’ Ms. McGowan wrote to Ms. Argento, reading from her text, ‘like toxic slime going out of a spiked birth canal. That’s what the whole experience feels like to me. It’s an intense process.’ Sometimes she feels fresh rage. ‘But I’ll tell you what I don’t feel anymore,’ she said. ‘Despair.’”

“Ava DuVernay Addresses Hollywood’s Sexual Assault Problem During Brittania Awards Speech” (Lucy O’Brien, IGN)

“‘I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again,” [Ava DuVernay] finished,“we don’t have time to work on these dark behaviors, these ‘isms’ one by one. We should be outraged by all of it, all of the time. Until we are all safe, no one is safe.”

“How Kevin Spacey’s ‘Coming Out’ Grossly Conflates Pedophilia and Homosexuality” (Ira Madison III, The Daily Beast)

“Spacey has changed the narrative of him allegedly assaulting a 14-year-old boy, put on Jamie Foxx’s ‘Blame it on the Alcohol,’ and ended it with, ‘Oh, by the way, I’m gay!’ There’s never truly a wrong time to come out and I’d never begrudge anyone for accepting their sexuality. But the seediness of using your coming out to deflect from a sexual-assault allegation is something else entirely. Already, headlines have ignored Rapp’s allegations for claptrap like ABC News’ since-edited story that at first read: ‘Kevin Spacey comes out in emotional tweet.’ Several other outlets also led with the fact that Spacey has come out of the closet, rather than the fact that he came out in response to Rapp’s disturbing allegation. Beyond altering the narrative, Spacey’s statement grossly conflates pedophilia and homosexuality.”


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