By Maristela Romero
A plethora of high-profile men from multiple industries have been accused of sexual misconduct since Harvey Weinstein’s allegations surfaced in early October.
The number of allegations continue to grow as victims of sexual assault are exposing their harassers through social media, creating a large network for other victims to speak out and share their stories.
The first of many, Weinstein has faced irreversible consequences including a life ban from the Producers Guild of America and his resignation from the Weinstein Company. Despite of the backlash he has received, Weinstein has yet to face serious legal action due to years of numerous private settlements covering his tracks.
The barrage of support from online citizens toward the alleged victims have helped bring massive media attention to their grievances, garnering many individuals from the entertainment industry, such as Natalie Portman and Oprah Winfrey, to publicly condemn such actions.
The #MeToo movement, which trended on Twitter following weeks after Weinstein’s allegations, was enacted by actress Alyssa Milano as a way to call attention to the culture of sexual harassment within all industries.
Many followed suit by sharing their own stories, while some simply advocated for society to take on “the magnitude of the problem” according to Milano’s friend.
In recent news, actors who have been accused of sexual misconduct may become subject to a new code of conduct set forth by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
In an email detailing an organization-wide response to recent sexual harassment claims, Academy CEO Dawn Hudson assures they are “taking steps to establish a code of conduct for our members, which will include a policy for evaluating alleged violations and determining if action regarding membership is warranted.”
With the increasing number of accusations being made, it is difficult to keep track of who has been publicly denounced as an alleged predator.
“The New York Times” has recently published a timeline of sexual accusations since their exposé of Weinstein on Oct. 3, up until this week. The timeline includes high-profile men with established careers in the Hollywood, political and media industries.
Among the recently accused are: Head of Pixar and Walt Disney John Lasseter, CBS television host Charlie Rose, U.S. Senator Al Franken, Alabama GOP Senate nominee Roy Moore, award-winning comedian Louis C.K., NPR top editor Michael Oreskes and House of Cards actor Kevin Spacey.
Featured Photo Credit: Courtesy of Kevin Spacey’s Facebook page.
Maristela Romero is a freshman journalism and public health science major and can be reached at romero.maristela@gmail.com.
