300 top Hollywood women reveal sweeping anti-harassment action plan with a $13 million legal defense fund

The Business Insider reports:

Hundreds of top Hollywood actresses and female executives, directors, producers, writers, and agents have launched a sweeping initiative to combat sexual harassment in workplaces across the United States, with a focus on blue-collar industries.

The initiative, called Time's Up, includes a legal defense fund backed by $13 million in donations to assist women in low-wage industries, a campaign to advocate gender parity among corporate leadership, and proposed legislation to push companies to adopt policies on harassment and discourage the use of nondisclosure agreements.

The movement specifically addresses a common criticism that the national conversation around sexual misconduct in workplaces has frequently excluded blue-collar women, who typically have less public influence and fewer resources to take on systemic abuse than Hollywood stars.

"Harassment too often persists because perpetrators and employers never face any consequences. This is often because survivors, particularly those working in low-wage industries, don't have the resources to fight back," an open letter signed by the 300 Hollywood women said.

The great moments of Blue America.