Rose McGowan says won’t be silenced over sexual assault
DETROIT: Actress and activist Rose McGowan gave a brief but blistering critique of Hollywood’s treatment and portrayal of women during a panel on sexual assault on Friday at the opening day of the Women’s Convention here.
McGowan has been a leading voice against sexual harassment in the industry, tweeting earlier this month that she was raped by a man with the initials “HW,” whom she later confirmed was film producer Harvey Weinstein.
She gave examples of how sexual harassment is embedded within the industry and can be seen in writing tropes and cavalier jokes about women’s bodies. She said she has offered to give talks to the Writers Guild of America about harmful portrayals.
“Writers in Hollywood use rape as a plot device. They can’t imagine a woman getting strong otherwise,” she said to cheers in the packed crowd.
During a panel called “Fighting for Survivors of Sexual Assault in the Age of Betsy DeVos,” panellists discussed sexual assault on college campuses and what they say are the dangers of the secretary of education’s reversal of Obamaera sexual assault guidelines for college campuses. They shared experiences of being sexually assaulted on campus and conveyed the importance of Title IX, a federal anti-discrimination law.
“In regards to Hollywood, we have no Title IX,” McGowan said. “There’s nothing.”
McGowan and actress Amber Tamblyn talked about the importance of social media in current discussions of sexual assault and violence.
“The small thing that has happened, at least with Harvey Weinstein, is that the linchpin has been pulled from the grenade, and now we are about to see the grenade,” Tamblyn said. “I’m proud to be a part of that.”
Tamblyn is also active in the effort to combat sexual harassment and assault. She has said that actor James Woods offered to take her to Las Vegas when she was 16; Woods has denied the allegation.
McGowan did not comment on Weinstein, but said she has had “monsters” after her.
“I’ve had monsters after me for years and years trying to eradicate me from this planet,” she said. “And I will not go.”
Earlier in the day, McGowan delivered the opening remarks at the convention in her first public speech since saying Weinstein raped her.
“The triggering has been insane — the monster’s face everywhere, my nightmare,” she said, according to the Associated Press. “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 alluded with the F-word to President Donald Trump’s bragging in 2005 that he could grab women’s genitals and get away with it simply because he was famous.
“We are pure. We are strong. We are brave, and we will fight,” said McGowan, who raised her left fist defiantly as the crowd at the Women’s Convention in Detroit stood and cheered in support.
The meeting is an offshoot of the Women’s March that filled the streets of Washington a day after the Trump inauguration in January.
“Women grab back. We speak. We yell. We march. We are here. We will not go away,” said McGowan.
The New York Times has reported that in 1997 Weinstein reached a US$100,000 settlement with McGowan, then 23, after an incident in a hotel room during the Sundance Film Festival.
That deal was not an admission of guilt but rather designed to avert litigation and “buy peace,” said the Times, which said it had seen the document.
Weinstein has apologised for his behaviour with women, but has denied accusations of rape.
McGowan has galvanised supporters online, urging them to speak out against harassment using the hashtag #RoseArmy. At the convention, she handed out pins and bandannas that said #RoseArmy. — WPBloomberg/AFP
We are pure. We are strong. We are brave, and we will fight. — Rose McGowan, actress