‘Silenced’ Weinstein accuser speaks out
DETROIT In her first public comments since accusing film producer Harvey Weinstein of rape, actress Rose McGowan says she was ‘‘silenced for 20 years’’ but won’t remain quiet about sexual assault and harassment.
McGowan, delivering opening remarks at The Women’s Convention in Detroit yesterday, thanked the audience ‘‘for giving me wings during this very difficult time’’.
‘‘The triggering has been insane – the monster’s face everywhere, my nightmare,’’ she said.
‘‘I have been silenced for 20 years. I have been slut-shamed, I have been harassed, I have been maligned, and you know what? I am just like you. What happened to me behind the scenes happens to all of us in this society. It cannot stand and will not stand.’’
McGowan has been one of the leading voices against sexual har- assment in Hollywood, and tweeted earlier this month that she was raped by a man with the initials ‘‘HW’’. The Hollywood
said McGowan had confirmed that she was referring to Weinstein.
On Twitter, McGowan has amassed supporters and urged them to call out harassment using the #RoseArmy hashtag.
Weinstein was fired from The Weinstein Company on October 8 after The New York Times published an expose that detailed decades of sexual harassment allegations against him. The Oscar-winning producer apologised without addressing any specific conduct, but has denied later allegations by several women that he raped them.
The newspaper also reported that Weinstein paid a financial settlement of US$100,000 to REUTERS McGowan in 1997 over an incident in a hotel room during the Sundance Film Festival in Utah.
In yesterday’s speech, McGowan said that because Hollywood was male-dominated, ‘‘we are given one view’’. She said the entertainment industry was not isolated in this respect; instead, ‘‘it is the mirror you are given to look into’’.
‘‘I know the men behind that view. They shouldn’t be in your mind, and they shouldn’t be in mine. It’s time to clean house.’’
McGowan participated in a panel later in the day, and elaborated on changes that could be made in the entertainment industry to prevent harassment and sexual abuse.
‘‘In regards to Hollywood, we have no rights,’’ she said. ‘‘There is no such thing as sexual harassment laws.’’ AP