Does Hollywood Enable Sexual Abusers to be Successful?

Via: CNN

The Hollywood Film Industry should be spotlighting actors deserving of a platform. Renowned movie stars’ actions should be well-intentioned and exemplary.

Despite numerous sexual assault allegations, Kevin Spacey managed to acquire another role in a movie. In fact, it is highly probable that this will not be his last opportunity.

It is also important to keep in mind that it is not only Kevin Spacey who has had sexual assault accusations under his name.

A CNN article released covered sexual assault allegations of numerous public figures, including movie stars like James Toback and Ben Affleck, along with Kevin Spacey.

This further opens up the question: Why is Hollywood protecting the reputations of people who repeatedly choose to exploit their power?

For instance, in 2017, the Los Angeles Times released an article exposing multiple sexual harassment claims against James Toback.

In the CNN article mentioned above, it stated that Toback claimed that “he had never met any of the women -- or if he did meet them, it ‘was for five minutes and (he had) no recollection.’”

In addition, Toback denied the allegations because he claimed to have biological health conditions that required medication. However, when asked to elaborate on this topic, he refused to explain any further.

To add to the argument, a couple of months after the article’s initial release, the Los Angeles Times revealed that nearly 400 more women had come forward with sexual allegations against Toback.

On the other hand, Ben Affleck, an award-winning actor, was quick to condemn Harvey Weinstein’s inappropriate behaviour when sexual harassment allegations began to surface.

However, it was revealed that Affleck had allegations of his own. He had sexually assaulted Hilarie Burton during an appearance on a talk show.

Affleck apologized for his actions on Twitter and said that he “acted inappropriately toward Ms. Burton.”

Kevin Spacey also has a history of multiple accusations of sexual misconduct under his name.

This includes one incident where he sexually assaulted actor, Anthony Rapp, by “[picking] Rapp up, [placing] him on his bed, and [climbing] on top of him.”

In addition, Rapp was only 14 years of age at the time.

Why are sexual abusers continued to be offered roles in films, even after their abuse history was exposed?

By not holding public figures accountable, Hollywood culture is allowing for numerous cases of sexual harassment to be swept under the rug.

Not only are the public images of these men continuously protected by the film industry, but the traumatic experiences of survivors, who courageously came forward with their stories, being dismissed in the process.

Openly condemning sexual abuse is not enough. Hollywood needs to continually work to foster an atmosphere where everyone feels safe enough to rely on their workplace for support in incidents of sexual abuse.

More importantly, Hollywood needs to begin implementing measures to prevent these situations from occurring.

Especially for misogyny-affected people, these changes are crucial for creating an inclusive environment. And when it comes to the glorified realm of Hollywood, it is the industry’s responsibility to take steps to ensure that members of marginalized communities are treated with the proper support that they deserve.

Experiences of sexual misconduct need to be validated and acknowledged. Change needs to happen within the system and the industry needs to continually work to support victims of sexual violence.

Hollywood cannot keep profiting off of the trauma of sexual violence survivors.