Director Ryan Coogler Says Men Should Be Allies To Women
Director Ryan Coogler, whose feature debut “Fruitvale Station” was released by The Weinstein Co., has released a statement denouncing Harvey Weinstein in the wake of his multiple sexual harassment and rape allegations.
Saying he was “disturbed and saddened at the news,” Coogler felt he had a responsibility to comment on the issues raised by the allegations. In his statement, he called on the men who “sit in positions of privilege” because of their gender to do more.
Coogler continued: “It goes without saying, but I will state it now: Sexual harassment is a human rights violation, sexual assault is a human rights violation, rape is a human rights violation.”
Coogler went on in his statement to call for men in Hollywood to be “allies” for women: “It is our responsibility to leverage our position, and be allies to the women in our industry. We need to do everything we can to make sure violations like these don’t continue to happen. The first step is to listen. Salute to the brave women who came forward. I could never imagine how difficult that must be.”
Read the full statement below.
I am disturbed and saddened at the news that several women have been victimized by a person I had come to know through the purchase of my first feature film. While I had no further business dealings with Harvey Weinstein, and no knowledge of this predatory behavior, my career did benefit from this brief involvement. Because of that, I feel a responsibility to speak up on this issue.
I love working as a storyteller. But I work in an industry that too many times has proven to not be a safe space for women. I make it a priority to ensure that there is gender equity and an inclusive work environment on every project I am involved with. However, just minding our business sometimes isn’t enough. It goes without saying, but I will state it now: Sexual harassment is a human rights violation, sexual assault is a human rights violation, rape is a human rights violation.
The entertainment industry, like many others, has a historic imbalance of power among gender that allows these violations to run rampant. As men, we sit in positions of privilege. It is our responsibility to leverage our position, and be allies to the women in our industry. We need to do everything we can to make sure violations like these don’t continue to happen. The first step is to listen. Salute to the brave women who came forward. I could never imagine how difficult that must be.
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(Photo Credit: Associated Press)
