Op-Ed: One lesson from the Weinstein case is that men like me must speak out about abuse.
On Monday, The Hollywood Reporter reported that Harvey Weinstein had reached a settlement with an alleged victim of rape and harassment. The alleged incident took place in 2016. Weinstein’s attorney confirmed the details in a statement to The Hollywood Reporter. But, as the allegations are being widely reported, what did he do wrong? And what is to be done to prevent victims of harassment or abuse from reporting them to their company?
The Weinstein Company has been a frequent target of sexual harassment. Many of the victims of that abuse report to their employers, and some are fired. However, one way to prevent that kind of abuse is to speak out against it.
That’s what happened to me about 12 years ago to my employer, which was an agency that represented actors. At some point, someone close to me alerted our boss to my experience with a colleague. It was a “personal issue” in my mind — a colleague who was a woman had said something to me that embarrassed my boss, but his response could have been misinterpreted as a sexual harassment.
I approached him about it and he said he understood that I was uncomfortable, that he was wrong, and he apologized and said he wished he could do things differently. After a bit more of a chat, our boss asked me to leave his office.
That was the first time I ever talked about it with anyone. I thought I might be crazy or just having a bad day, but I decided to talk to someone and tell the story. The person I talked to responded by saying he was surprised we had come to the point where we had to talk about it. Then, he said he would take my call the next day. That was the second time I ever talked to someone about it in 12 years.
That’s when I decided to speak to my boss. I told him the story and he listened and was understanding. He listened and understood me at the time, but now, he’s said he wanted me gone. I am told by friends I have that he has said he has done some things he shouldn’t have to me.
I believe he was responsible for my termination. He has given me no information why I was let go. I have had no other job since then. I have talked to my family and they
