A message from a young P.A. prompted us to talk about sexual harassment on set.
I think the saddest thing for me was not being surprised by what these ladies had to say. As someone who has worked on both sides of production I've witnessed overt forms of sexual harassment-- such as when a background performer used a call-sheet to stalk a cast member, or when a producer screamed at his junior for having children. I've also witnessed smaller aggressions-- the kind that are more predominant in our society. Coined as "micro-aggressions" these can include talking down to female co-workers on the principle of gender, dismissing women's concerns as hysterical or dramatic, and even pushing brilliant women into assistant positions while hiring less qualified men to be their superiors. With incidents like the Ghomeshi scandal, and the pay scandal in Hollywood, it's easy to see the big ways that film and television industry lags behind. But, if I took anything away from this discussion, it's that we need to address sexual discrimination and harassment on a micro-level.
It's difficult to change a culture, but I think by addressing these issues instead of sweeping them under the rug, we can really move toward a safer environment. At the end of the day, this will only make our work better, and our industry stronger.
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