A Disgusting History
Courtesy of Wikipedia Commons
January 30, 2020
A Disgusting History
Sarah Long
Harvey Weinstein
Courtesy of Wikipedia Commons
Harvey Weinstein’s trial began on Jan. 6, 2020 in New York City, the trial will determine the credibility of rape and sexual harassment allegations as well as the character of former film producer.
Over the span of multiple years, more than 80 women have accused Weinstein of alleged rape and sexual assult. This includes actresses, employees of Weinstein’s company and many women who are a part of the entertainment and design world. In 2017, the allegations were finally recognized.
Weinstein faces the possibility of being placed in prison for the rest of his life however Weinstein denies claims of rape, said encounters with such women were consensual and pleads not guilty for the trial.
The proceedings for the trial are expected to last about six weeks. There are six women who are testifying against Weinstein including Mimi Haleyi, Jessica Mann, Annabella Sciorra, Dawn Dunning, Tarale Wulff and Lauren Young. They shared vivid descriptions of several sexual assault cases and inappropriate behavior not yet proven. The trial will decide the fate of Weinstein and the credibility of several allegations made against him.
Dawn Dunning
Former actress
“I was talking with Harvey, and he kind of led me into the other room,” Dunning testified. “And I sat next to him on the bed, and I was wearing a skirt that day … and he put his hand up my skirt.”
“I mean, I did reject him, but he insisted. And every time I tried to get up off the bed, he would push me back and hold me down. Then he pushed me down, he held me down, he held me by my arms,” she said. “And then I said, ‘No, no,’ and at that point I started realizing what was actually happening: I’m being raped.”
Mimi Haylei
Tarale Wulff
Model
“I just went blank and looked off,” she testified. “He put himself inside me, and he raped me. And I just remember getting up. I don’t remember from that moment. I just remember getting up.”
American journalist Ronan Farrow assisted in exposing Weinstein in The New Yorker. He wrote an article with 13 women’ stories due to the lack of attention Weinstein’s behavior was receiving. Farrow’s work was awarded in 2018 with a Pulitzer Prize for Public Service.
“While Weinstein and his representatives have said that the incidents were consensual, and were not widespread or severe, the women I spoke to tell a very different story,” said Ronan Farrow in The New Yorker.
Weinstein is a former film producer and co-founded Miramax with his brother Bob Weinstein. This entertainment company produced many successful independent films including “Pulp Fiction,” “Good Will Hunting,” “Shakespeare in Love” and “The Crying Game.”
The Weinstein Company’s board stands firm that they have no knowledge of any misconduct that may be occurring.
