Hundreds march against sexual harassment in Hollywood
The crowd walked about a mile to the corner of Sunset Boulevard and Cole
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Your support makes all the difference.Armed with signs, catchy phrases and a motivation to take #MeToo beyond the internet and into real life, hundreds of women, men and children have gathered among the tourist traps of Hollywood Boulevard to protest sexual harassment.
The Take Back the Workplace March and the #MeToo Survivors March joined forces in the heart of Hollywood, near the entrance to the Dolby Theater where the Academy Awards take place. They walked side by side past the tourists, costume shops, strip clubs and a man wearing a “Whiskey Made Me Do It” T-shirt to gather for a rally of rousing speeches from the likes of Harvey Weinstein accuser Lauren Sivan and Oscar-winning producer Cathy Schulman.
Chants included, “Survivors united, we'll never be divided” and “Whatever we wear, wherever we go, 'yes' means 'yes' and 'no' means 'no.' ”
Some came with their families, some came with friends and attendees ranged in age from 4 to over 68. Aislinn Russell, a 15-year-old Los Angeles high school student came with two peers and signs railing against terms like “friend zone” and “slut.”
“Seeing the #metoo movement growing and seeing all these people telling their stories, I have my own stories too,” Russell said. “I want to join in with that and not be silent with everything going on.”
Her sign, drawn in pink and purple block letters read: “ 'Slut' is attacking women for their right to say yes.” Her friend's read: “ 'Friend Zone' is attaching women for their right to say no.”
Another attendee, Nancy Allen, a 52-year-old woman from Los Angeles, carried a sign that read, “I was 7.”
“We've been silent too long,” Ms Allen said. “A lot of people have kept this inside us for years and years.”
Howard Kim, a 68-year-old Los Angeles resident, came out to support the march.
“I'm just a little sorry there aren't more people out here,” Mr Kim said. “I was hoping there would be.”
Event organisers estimated there were about 200 to 300 attendees. But they also acknowledged that it was “difficult to tell” with the normal Hollywood Boulevard crowds.
The crowd walked about a mile to the corner of Sunset Boulevard and Cole, the site of CNN headquarters, where a podium was set up for the Take Back the Workplace rally.
Ms Sivan, a TV journalist served as the “celebrity chair” of the Take Back the Workplace event, said that the time is ripe for a re-ordering of power.
“We want our daughters and sons to be able to go to a workplace and never have to take a meeting with a dude in a bathrobe,” Ms Sivan said. “They will never have to choose to put out or keep their job.”
“To all my sisters and brothers out there marching today in L.A Sending you love and support from thousands of miles away!” said Patricia Arquette on Twitter.
Associated Press