{"id":7862,"date":"2018-03-03T09:40:52","date_gmt":"2018-03-03T09:40:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ounews.co\/?p=7862"},"modified":"2018-03-03T09:40:52","modified_gmt":"2018-03-03T09:40:52","slug":"sexual-violence-may-be-in-the-hollywood-spotlight-but-there-are-limits-to-speaking-out","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/news\/arts-social-sciences\/society-politics\/sexual-violence-may-be-in-the-hollywood-spotlight-but-there-are-limits-to-speaking-out\/","title":{"rendered":"Sexual violence may be in the Hollywood spotlight, but there are limits to speaking out"},"content":{"rendered":"

The entertainment award season hits its peak with the 90th Academy Awards \u2013 the Oscars \u2013 on March 4 2018. Since the public outing of Harvey Weinstein<\/a> as a serial sexual abuser, award ceremonies have become spotlights to display solidarity and declare time on sexual harassment and gender inequalities in and beyond the film industry.<\/p>\n

Beginning with the Golden Globes<\/a> and repeated at the BAFTAs<\/a> and others around the world<\/a>, high-profile actors have worn black to demonstrate solidarity and highlight the work of anti-violence activists on the red carpet as their plus ones. The Time\u2019s Up<\/a> movement aims to translate this awareness into practical support for all survivors, including a legal fund for working-class women to fight for equality and justice.<\/p>\n

Given all this airtime, various commentators hold hope that this year\u2019s Oscars will make history not only in terms of nominations<\/a> and awards for black, women, transgender and young stars but also in continuing a united stance against sexual violence.<\/p>\n

Breaking the silence around sexual violence has been an important strategy for this movement. Take #MeToo<\/a>, originally a campaign created by woman of colour activist Tarana Burke 12 years ago, which has in more recent times gone viral, resulting in 12m survivors sharing their stories on social media. The impact of breaking the silence on sexual violence in and beyond Hollywood has been lauded as Hollywood actors, alongside hotel housekeepers, activists and agricultural workers, collectively known as the silence breakers<\/a>, became Time magazine person of the year for 2017.<\/p>\n

Speaking out<\/h2>\n

The importance of speaking up and telling the truth is stressed more and more. In her speech<\/a> as the first black women to receive the Cecil B. de Mille award at the 2018 Golden Globes, Oprah Winfrey claimed that \u201cspeaking your truth is the most powerful tool we all have\u201d. She then shared the story of Recy Taylor<\/a>, who died ten days earlier. Recy Taylor was a black woman who was raped in Alabama by six white men in 1944. The case drew national attention as a key moment of injustice for black women as two all-white, all-male juries failed to indict the white men.<\/p>\n

With the world watching, the stories of sexual violence are being illuminated in the Hollywood spotlight. But, as the story of Recy Taylor suggests, there are limits to speaking out within a deeply unjust world. Not all survivors are safe to speak out. Some survivors are not believed and can face harmful consequences. After years of feminist campaigning and legal reform, many still see their rapists and abusers avoid being held accountable.<\/p>\n