Research and experience show us that sexual harassment is prevalent in every industry, and unfortunately, the entertainment industry is no exception. Numerous cases have come to light in the past few years alone, and the extent to which this problem remains unresolved will become clear in the coming years.
The cases we know about, of course, are those of victims who courageously spoke out about their experiences in public and under intense scrutiny. What we don’t hear are the stories of victims who remained silent, sometimes because of public pressure, sometimes because of embarrassment, and often because they lacked the support systems they needed to speak up. Speak Out Showbiz Come in.
Made up of a team of volunteers who are all victims of sexual assault, we encourage those who cannot speak up to do so. Thanks to the victims who decided to speak up despite the difficulties, Harvey Weinstein and P. Diddy have been publicly held accountable for their despicable actions, and the many victims who were either afraid or powerless to speak up have allowed people like former ABC producer Stephen McPherson, now owner of Promise Wines, and comedian Louis CK to continue their careers unhindered.
Of course, the victims are not to blame. Our goal is to ensure that justice is served and that no victim is intimidated by those in power. Often those in power step down, as happened with Stephen McPherson when he suddenly left ABC, or with Bill Cosby when the harassment allegations came to light, but that is not enough. Stephen McPherson and Bill Cosby, like others, have not only shirked responsibility for their actions, but have yet to express remorse or apology.
Instead, Stephen McPherson’s lawyer Explained Bill Cosby said the situation his client found himself in “could easily be misinterpreted or misrepresented. That seems to be the case and I’m not going to discuss it any further.” Claimed He has apologized to the family, but the information has not been confirmed. We want to give voice to the voiceless, power to the powerless and see justice done.
It’s often thought that sexual crimes become less of a problem as time goes on. Victims become desensitized to what happened to them, and the lack of prosecution becomes a tolerable problem. This couldn’t be further from the truth. The most pernicious obstacle to recovery for victims of acts like those of Steven McPherson and Bill Cosby is the lack of justice being served. And that won’t happen unless things change, and unless victims are empowered to speak up. SpeakOut Showbiz aims to change that.
