300 Powerhouse Women In Entertainment Come Together For Anti-Sexual Misconduct Group

– blogged by: @ashleytearra

We’ve been broken and battered, tossed and shattered, made powerless by the powerful, stripped of our voices and left with no choices, used and abused, horribly defeated and often mistreated for way too long. And, now, the time is up.

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
According to The New York Times, 300 influential entertainment figures–mostly made up of A-list actresses, producers, executives, and other paramount women in the industry, have joined forces to form the new anti-sexual misconduct organization, ‘Time’s Up’. Members include Reese Witherspoon, Shonda Rhimes, Kerry Washington, Eva Longoria, Emma Stone, Meryl Streep, and Ashley Judd, among a list of other greats in the field.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
The newly-configured group–initially formed by female talent agents, aims to fight sexual perpetration and inequality against women in entertainment and even the blue-collar workplace.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Whereas sexual abuse, harassment, and assault have been suppressed by pained victims, with fear keeping them vocally paralyzed, ‘Time’s Up’ strives to bring these issues to light, encouraging victims to stand up and speak out, in efforts to raise awareness. Silence is no longer an option.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
“We have been siloed off from each other,” actress Reese Witherspoon told #TheNewYorkTimes. “We’re finally hearing each other, and seeing each other, and now locking arms in solidarity with each other, and in solidarity for every woman who doesn’t feel seen, to be finally heard.”⠀⠀⠀
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Through the organization, a legal defense fund will be opened to assist and protect less privileged survivors. Organizers are also working towards a “legislation to penalize companies that do not take action against sexual harassment, to discourage the use of nondisclosure agreements to silence victims,”  and reaching gender equality in Hollywood.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
“The struggle for women to break in, to rise up the ranks and to simply be heard and acknowledged in male-dominated workplaces must end,” the group’s official statement on their website reads. “Time’s up on this impenetrable monopoly.”