LAUREN SIVAN, WHO IS A JOURNALIST IN LOS ANGELES IS
JOINING ME TO TALK ABOUT SOME OF WHAT'S GOING ON IN THE COUNTRY
RIGHT NOW IN REGARD TO SEXUAL HARASSMENT, SEXUAL ASSAULT.
SHE IS AN INCREDIBLE REPORTER BUT MORE IMPORTANTLY SHE IS ONE
OF THE COURAGEOUS WOMEN WHO CAME FORWARD WHEN THE HARVEY
WEINSTEIN STORY BROKE AND SHE SHARED ABOUT HER PRETTY HORRIBLE
EXPERIENCE WITH HIM BACK IN 2007 I BELIEVE, AND I SAY IT'S
COURAGEOUS BECAUSE A LOT OF TIMES, WOMEN COME FORWARD AND
THEY SHARE THEIR EXPERIENCES AND SIMILAR INSTANCES ESPECIALLY
WHEN IT COMES TO A MAN WITH POWER THEY'RE USUALLY MET
WITH, IT GOES BEYOND SKEPTICISM.
THEY ARE MET WITH BRUTAL LANGUAGE, EVEN MORE
DEGRADING TREATMENT AND IT WAS SO IMPORTANT FOR THE STORY
TO BREAK BECAUSE IT OPENED THE FLOODGATES AND MADE A LOT
OF OTHER WOMEN FEEL COMFORTABLE COMING FORWARD SO THANK YOU
FOR DOING THAT.
THANK YOU FOR JOINING ME.
THANK FOR HAVING ME.
FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO ARE UNFAMILIAR WITH THE STORY,
I REALLY DON'T WANT HER TO HAVE TO GET INTO THE DETAILS
AGAIN BUT I WANT TO QUICKLY SUMMARIZE WHAT HE DID.
THIS HAPPENED BACK IN 2007 AT
A FAMOUS RESTAURANT IN MANHATTAN.
SHE WAS WITH HARVEY WEINSTEIN, HE WAS SHOWING HER AROUND
THE RESTAURANT, AT A DIFFERENT RESTAURANT.
AT THIS POINT IT WAS A CUBAN RESTAURANT.
SOCIALISTA WHICH IS NOW CLOSED.
AT ONE POINT HE CORNERS HER INTO THE BACK OF THE RESTAURANT
AREA AND TRIES TO MAKE A MOVE ON YOU, AND LAUREN, YOU TOLD HIM
NO, I HAVE A BOYFRIEND AND AT THAT POINT, HE SAYS, TELLS YOU
TO JUST SHUT UP AND WATCH AND THEN HE PULLED HIS PENIS
OUT AND MASTURBATES IN FRONT OF YOU.
YEAH.
UNBELIEVABLE.
THAT IS WHAT YOU WENT THROUGH AND WHAT I AM CURIOUS ABOUT
IS WHAT WAS THE REACTION THAT YOU GOT FOLLOWING THE
PUBLICATION OF ALL OF THESE ALLEGATIONS, INCLUDING YOURS?
YOU MEAN NOW?
I CAME OUT INITIALLY BECAUSE THE NEW YORK TIMES STORY CAME OUT
WITH ASHLEY JUDD AND ROSE MCCOWAN WHO BRAVELY CAME OUT
AGAINST HIM AND I WAS SO PROUD OF THEM FOR DOING THAT AND I
THOUGHT FINALLY, PEOPLE ARE GONNA SEE WHAT HE'S LIKE AND
THEN HE CAME OUT WITH THE RIDICULOUS APOLOGY CALLING THEM
LIARS BASICALLY, GOING ON SOME POLITICAL RANT.
I DIDN'T UNDERSTAND WHAT HE WAS TALKING ABOUT.
IT MADE ME FURIOUS
BECAUSE I KNEW WHAT KIND OF GUY HE WAS BASED ON THE ENCOUNTER I
HAD WITH HIM 10 YEARS PRIOR SO THAT IS WHY I DECIDED TO COME
OUT PUBLICLY AND IT WAS DEFINITELY SCARY.
I DIDN'T SLEEP THE WHOLE NIGHT BEFORE I KNEW IT WAS GOING
TO BE PUBLISHED BECAUSE I STILL WASN'T SURE I SHOULD ATTACH
MY NAME TO IT.
AS A WOMAN, IT IS LIKE, WHAT DO YOU HAVE TO GAIN FROM THIS
AND
THEN FOR THE REST OF YOUR LIFE ANY TIME SOMEONE GOOGLES
YOUR NAME, THIS IS WHAT IS GOING TO COME UP AND YOU DON'T
WANT TO BE FOREVER KNOWN AS THE POTTED PLANT GIRL.
AND NOT ONLY THAT, DID YOU WORRY ABOUT THE REACTION TO IT?
BECAUSE I THINK ABOUT WOMEN WHO COME FORWARD
SAYING THAT THEY'VE BEEN RAPED OR SEXUALLY ASSAULTED AND A
LOT OF THEM ARE DRAGGED THROUGH THE MUD AND I WONDER IF YOU
HAD ANY OF THOSE FEARS BEFORE THAT STORY WAS PUBLISHED,
LIKE WHEN YOU COULDN'T SLEEP?
WELL, YEAH, I DID HAVE SOME OF THOSE FEARS AND I
THOUGHT THAT PEOPLE WOULD THINK, WHAT'S HER AGENDA, WHAT IS
HER ANGLE, WHY IS SHE DOING THIS?
THAT WAS KIND OF WHY I CAME FORWARD.
I DIDN'T HAVE AN
AGENDA AND I DIDN'T WANT ANYTHING FROM HARVEY WEINSTEIN.
I DIDN'T WANT TO SUE HIM, HIS MONEY, BE IN A MOVIE, NOTHING.
I FELT LIKE PERHAPS MY VOICE COULD VALIDATE THEIR VOICES
BECAUSE I DID NOT WORK IN THE INDUSTRY AND I DIDN'T HAVE
TO WORK WITH HIM LIKE THEY DID.
AND THE REACTION, I
WANT TO SAY 90% POSITIVE.
90% OF WOMEN SAYING WOW, THANK YOU FOR TELLING YOUR STORY
AND SHARING THEIR OWN STORIES WITH ME.
AS WITH ANYTHING, THERE ARE PLENTY OF PEOPLE TROLLING ONLINE
WHO WILL SAY, YOU KEPT QUIET FOR 10 YEARS AND YOU COULD'VE HELPED
SOMEONE ELSE WHICH IS FRANKLY IS NOT TRUE, NUMBER ONE AND NUMBER
TWO, THAT IS WHAT WE NEED TO CHANGE IS VICTIM BLAMING,
THIS VICTIM SHAMING CULTURE BECAUSE THAT IS EXACTLY WHY
PEOPLE DON'T COME OUT.
IF YOU CAME OUT ABOUT WHAT HAPPENED IT
WOULD BE LIKE YOU ARE OVERREACTING AND IT IS
HARVEY WEINSTEIN SO GOOD LUCK DIANE WE NEED TO COME OUT
THEY SAY, WHAT TOOK YOU SO LONG QUESTION YOU CAN'T WIN.
I WANT TO GET TO THAT.
THE QUESTION OF WHY IT TAKES PEOPLE SEWING TO COME FORWARD.
A WAS REPORTED AND UNFORTUNATELY WE DIDN'T GET A CHANCE TO
COVER THE STORY UNTIL NOW TO THINK IT IS REALLY
IMPORTANT TO DISCUSS IT.
IT WAS REPORTED THAT HARVEY WEINSTEIN WOULD HIRE OPPOSITION
RESEARCHERS, VERY PROMINENT OPPOSITION RESEARCHERS TO START
SPYING ON THE ACCUSERS AND THEN HE WOULD TRY TO PUSH FOR A SMEAR
CAMPAIGN TO TAKE AWAY ANY CREDIBILITY THAT THESE WOMEN MAY
HAVE AND TO AGAIN DRAG THEM TO THE MUD AND THE REASON WHY WE
KNOW ABOUT THAT IS BECAUSE ROAD IN PHARAOH SPOKE VERY CANDIDLY
ABOUT WHO HE HIRED AND WHAT HE PLANNED ON DOING AND SO THE
COMPANY, THE FIRMS INCLUDED KROLL, ONE OF THE LARGEST
CORPORATE INTELLIGENCE COMPANIES AND AN ENTERPRISE RUN
LARGELY BY FORMER OFFICERS OF ISREALI
INTELLIGENCE AGENCIES SO IT WAS ALSO BECOMING INCREASINGLY
OBVIOUS THAT THIS WAS GOING ON BECAUSE ROSE MCCOWAN WAS
NOTICING THAT PEOPLE WERE ASKING HER VERY PERSONAL QUESTIONS AND
FOLLOWING HER AROUND AND THEN IT TURNED OUT SOME OF THESE PEOPLE
ENDED UP BEING SPIES AND RESEARCHERS.
AT LEAST MY TAKE IS THAT ANY PERSON WHO IS NOT IN A
POSITION OF POWER WOULD BE FEARFUL THAT THEY WOULD BE
FOLLOWED AROUND AND SMEARED AND THEIR NAME WOULD BE
COMPLETELY DESTROYED EVEN THOUGH THEY ARE THE VICTIMS.
AND WE SAW IT WITH THE ITALIAN ACTRESS AND MODEL WHO
ACTUALLY HAD EVIDENCE, WHO HAD A RECORDING, AN AUDIO RECORDING OF
HIM RELENTLESSLY DRAGGING HER INTO HIS HOTEL ROOM AND YET,
NOTHING WAS DONE ABOUT THAT AND THEN HE HAD JOURNALISTS AT THE
NEW YORK POST WRITE ARTICLES BASICALLY SMEARING HER
SAYING, SHE IS ACCUSING HIM OF WHAT?
SHE SHOWED UP AT HIS PARTY.
SHE DID THIS AND THAT.
INSINUATING THAT SHE WAS A LIAR AND TRYING TO GET SOMETHING
OUT OF HIM SO WHY WOULD ANYONE HAD EVER COME FORWARD?
THERE WAS NO WINNING AND IF YOU HAD TO WORK IN THE
INDUSTRY, IF YOU HAD TO WORK WITH HIM, JUST IMAGINE
HAVING TO DEAL WITH THIS GUY.
DARYL HANNAH SAID SHE WAS MOVING A DRESSER IN FRONT OF HER
HOTEL
ROOM DOOR TO KEEP HIM OUT AND WHEN SHE COMPLAINED ABOUT IT SHE
WAS TAKEN OFF THE PRESS TOUR.
JUST IMAGINE.
BEFORE RIGHT NOW THERE WAS NO UPSIDE TO COMING FORWARD
WITH YOUR STORY DIVER SOMETHING YOU HAD TO KEEP A SECRET,
DEAL WITH, AND THEN TO THIS WEIRD TAP DANCE WITH THIS
PERSON IF YOU STILL HAD TO WORK WITH HIM TO BE POLITE AND
TRY TO JUST NOT BE ALONE WITH HIM.
WOMEN SHOULDN'T HAVE TO DEAL WITH THAT, ESPECIALLY IN
THE WORKPLACE.
NEW DID HAD TO DEAL WITH HIM THAT YOU DIDN'T NECESSARILY
TO COMMUNICATE WITH HIM BUT YOU HAVE TO SEE THEM AROUND
FOLLOWING THAT PRETTY TERRIBLE ENCOUNTER.
WHEN I CAME TO HOLLYWOOD, GADI I WOULD COVER RED CARPET
EVENT ALL THE TIME SO HE WOULD OFTENTIMES BE ON THE RED CARPET
BECAUSE A LOT OF HIS MOVIES GET NOMINATED AND I JUST WHICH I MY
BEST TO NEVER HAVE TO INTERVIEW HIM OR PRETEND I DIDN'T SEE HIM
IF HE WENT BY AND I THINK I DID ONCE HAVE TO TALK TO HIM AT A
RED CARPET YEARS AGO AND HE HAD NO IDEA WHO I WAS.
HE DIDN'T SHOW ANY RECOGNITION WHICH I WAS GRATEFUL FOR,
BY THE WAY.
BUT IT IS TELLING.
I THINK YOU WERE ON MEGYN KELLY'S SHOW WHEN YOU SAID THIS,
THAT THAT MADE IT ABUNDANTLY CLEAR THAT YOU WERE NOT THE
ONLY VICTIM, THAT THERE HAD BEEN MANY OTHERS.
I KNEW THAT NIGHT THAT THIS GOES ON ALL THE TIME
BECAUSE IT WAS LESS THAN AN HOUR FROM MEETING HIM, A STRANGER,
TO HAVING HIM EXPOSE HIMSELF.
DO THE MATH, OVER 30
YEARS, HOW MANY ENCOUNTERS HE MUST'VE HAD WITH WOMEN THAT
HE WOULD NEVER SEEK A THAT HE DID SEE AGAIN.
THERE HAVE TO BE THOUSANDS.
RIGHT OUT THERE PROBABLY ARE MORE THAT I DON'T KNOW
ABOUT, BUT THE LATEST NUMBER THAT I READ WAS 80
WOMEN ACCUSING HIM OF SEXUAL HARASSMENT, SEXUAL ASSAULT.
I WANT TO CUT A WRAP OF THE CONVERSATION BY TALKING ABOUT
THE CULTURE BECAUSE THIS IS NOT SIMPLY A HARVEY WEINSTEIN
PROBLEM, IT IS NOT NICELY DID INCIDENT.
AS YOU GUYS KNOW, THIS IS NOW TRANSFERRED ONTO OTHER
PROFESSIONS, OTHER INDUSTRIES AND IN MY OPINION, THIS
SHOWS THAT THERE IS A CULTURAL ISSUE HERE AND IT IS NOT A
CULTURAL ISSUE SAYING, ALL MEN, THEY NEED TO BE TALKED TO
DOT IT SHOWS THAT THERE ARE PEOPLE IN POSITIONS OF
POWER WHO WILL ABUSE THAT POWER AND THEY GET AWAY WITH IT.
THEY'VE GOTTEN AWAY WITH IT FOR A LONG TIME AND I WANT TO GET
YOUR SENSE OF WHAT THE FUTURE HOLDS.
DO YOU THINK THE OPENING OF THE FLOODGATES IS REALLY GOING
TO LEAD TO CHANGE OR IS THIS JUST THE HOT STORY FOR THE
MOMENT AND THEN PEOPLE WILL LOSE INTEREST?
I HOPE NOT.
I HOPE REAL CHANGE COMES AND I WANT TO MAKE IT AS SPECIFIC AS
WE POSSIBLY CAN OVER WHAT THAT CHANGE SHOULD AND COULD LOOK
LIKE BECAUSE AS GREAT AS IS IT IS TO HEAR ALL THE STORIES IN
THE MEDIA CAMPAIGN, IF EVERYTHING STAYS THE WAY IT WILL
THEN NOTHING WILL CHANGE.
AT THE VERY LEAST I THINK NOW THE
SOME NEW PEOPLE COME FORWARD I THINK WOMEN WILL BE MUCH
MORE, THEY WILL CALL IT OUTRIGHT WHEN IT HAPPENS IN REAL
TIME, RIGHT WHEN THEY SEE IT.
THERE NO LONGER GOING TO HAVE THAT TERRIFIED FEAR THAT NO
ONE WILL BELIEVE THEM OR THEY WILL BE SHUT UP OR SMEARED.
I THINK THAT THAT HAS MADE IT MORE COMFORTABLE FOR
WOMEN TO COME FORWARD.
THE OTHER THING I THINK IS THIS IDEA THAT THE RICH AND THE
POWERFUL CAN PAY THEIR WAY OUT OF TROUBLE, THAT NEEDS TO END.
THE NONDISCLOSURE AGREEMENTS IS SOMETHING THAT I
THINK NEEDS TO END WHEN IT COMES TO SEXUAL HARASSMENT.
TO PAY OFF A VICTIM BECAUSE OF YOUR EGREGIOUS BEHAVIOR AND THEN
TO CONTINUE THAT BEHAVIOR BECAUSE SHE CAN NO LONGER SPEAK
ABOUT IT, THAT HAS TO END BECAUSE IN MANY OF THESE CASES
AS YOU BROUGHT UP, WE'RE NOT JUST TALKING ABOUT AN
OFF-COLOR COMMENT.
WE'RE TALKING ABOUT ASSAULT, RAPE, THOSE ARE FELONIES.
CRIMES AND THEY SHOULD NOT BE COVERED UP.
THAT IS A GREAT POINT THAT I
AGREE WITH YOU.