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| TIME's People of the Year: The Silence Breakers (CNN, 2017) |
Almost six months after the Weinstein scandal first broke and triggered the #MeToo movement, a lot has changed and the discussion around harassment and equality in the entertainment industries, and in workplaces worldwide, is ongoing. Here are some leading ladies in the industry with their thoughts on where exactly we go from here:
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| Tina Tchen (Buckley Sander, 2018) |
Tina Tchen, attorney for Time's Up legal defence fund,
told Vanity Fair: “Sexual harassment is the issue that’s gotten all the coverage, but if we are really going to solve sexual harassment, the core issues are building equitable workplaces. And that’s all these issues: equitable pay, it’s paid leave, it’s diversity inclusion, it’s fair promotion policies. You have to address all of those. You run the risk, if you just focus on harassment, of not really solving the core problem.”
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| Lisa Holdsworth (Twitter, 2018) |
Scriptwriter and producer Lisa Holdsworth told me: “It feels as if we are at the start of serious change and a rebalancing of the industry. However, we shouldn’t imagine that change will be significant or even permanent if we don’t continue to fight for it. It is important that those with power and a platform use it to help their colleagues who do not. Women and men who have been assaulted, bullied or harassed must be heard and protected. Personally, I think the way forward is for artists to join their trade union. There is strength in numbers.” (Holdsworth, L., 2018, personal communication, 2 Feb)
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| Zoe Guilford (Twitter, 2017) |
Zoe Guildford, Media Manager for Isle of Man Government, told me: "I'm delighted with the phenomenal outcry of outrage to the Harvey Weinstein story and thing there's a been a total step change in light of it. Attitudes have changed and I have faith we won't go back to the dark times: the only concern I have is that we don't push things too far where we have to have to be having similar conversations about our treatment of men in the years to come." (Guilford, Z., 2018, personal communication, 4 Feb)
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| Kate Kinninmont (Zimbio, 2018) |
Kate Kinninmont MBE, Chief Executive, Women in Film & Television (UK),
told the BFI: “We will always have bullies and abusers, but we can change the culture that tolerates them. These
Principles and Guidelines, developed in collaboration with so many organisations across our industry,
point the way to a better future. The Principles make clear what acceptable standards should be. And
the Guidance will help support women (and men) who are being unfairly treated. We have a world-class
industry. Let’s all adopt decent work practices and keep it that way.”
With policies being announced left, right and centre, as discussed in the last post, and more celebrities
taking up inclusion riders in their contracts, things certainly look set to change, but it will take persistence, co-operation and communication to make sure it does. We must keep the conversation going and never let harassment be hidden away again.
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