As allegations mount, Harvey Weinstein’s predatory treatment of women is exposed

Last week, The New York Times published an investigation revealing Oscar Award-winning producer Harvey Weinstein’s long history of sexual harassment towards women in the entertainment industry.

“Undisclosed allegations” by a number of young women in Hollywood stated that Weinstein would invite them into his hotel and inappropriately touch or make sexual suggestions to the women.

Well-known faces of Hollywood, such as Rose McGowan and Ashley Judd, came clean about being legally paid to keep silent about their encounters, and even signing documentation that offers no official confession from Weinstein.

After the Times broke the story, The Weinstein Company proceeded to fire the co-founder, and has been left to deal with lawsuits and legal litigations.

“The firing was an escalation from Friday, when one-third of the company’s all-male board resigned and four members who remained announced that Mr. Weinstein would take a leave of absence while an outside lawyer investigated the allegations.”

Today, The New Yorker  released a recording between Weinstein and model Ambra Battilana Gutierrez, where Weinstein is heard to pressure Gutierrez to stay in his hotel room, even after she’d repeated that she was uncomfortable with his unsolicited touches.

https://twitter.com/keithboykin/status/917777756234149890

In the audio, anyone can hear how pushy Weinstein is with the model, begging her to stay in his room, and telling her to “stop embarrassing him” by leaving.

And that’s not all. Multiple women have come forward with their accusations towards Weinstein. The New Yorker writes about how difficult it was for these affected women to be able to share their experiences.

“Too few people were willing to speak, much less allow a reporter to use their names, and Weinstein and his associates used nondisclosure agreements, monetary payoffs, and legal threats to suppress these myriad stories.”

The New Yorker did not hesitate to share the allegations they did receive, however.

“Three women––among them Argento and a former aspiring actress named Lucia Evans—told me that Weinstein raped them, allegations that include Weinstein forcibly performing or receiving oral sex and forcing vaginal sex. Four women said that they experienced unwanted touching that could be classified as an assault.”

Gutierrez has shared that she met Weinstein at Radio City Music Hall and visited his office later on, only to have him “lunge at her.” After having her breasts grabbed and filing for sexual assault thereafter, she was told by the Special Victims Division to wear a wire in order to get Weinstein talking on audio.

As of right now, Weinstein stands accused of raping three women. Hollywood actors such as Ben Affleck, Kate Winslet, and Meryl Streep have spoken out against the news, calling it “disgraceful.”

In a statement to Variety, Ms. Winslet said of Mr. Weinstein’s behavior,

“[It] is without question disgraceful and appalling and very, very wrong. I had hoped that these kind of stories were just made up rumors, maybe we have all been naïve. And it makes me so angry. There must be ‘no tolerance’ of this degrading, vile treatment of women in any workplace anywhere in the world.”

Actresses Gwyneth Paltrow and Angelina Jolie have said that Weinstein has harassed them in the past, reported by the Times.

“I was a kid, I was signed up, I was petrified,” Paltrow told the Times.

It’s a sad day when we hear such a prominent face in the film industry has harassed so many women. Not only is it disgusting, but it really makes you wonder what led to this person’s actions.

It appears there’s more news to unfold regarding Weinstein’s past, as more celebrities and women in the industry begin speaking up against Weinstein.

Hopefully, this news will bring about some positivity and encourage other victims of sexual assault to come forward.