Rose McGowan, speaking publicly for the first time since accusing Harvey Weinstein of rape, issued a rallying cry for women to name and shame sexual abusers.
The actress told a women’s rally on Friday that she had been “silenced for 20 years” but said now is the time for women to “amplify each others’ voices” in calling out harassers.
Giving opening remarks at The Women’s Convention in Detroit, she thanked the crowds for giving their support in this “very difficult time” where she has had to endure seeing “the monster’s face everywhere”.
McGowan, 44, tweeted that she had been raped by the producer after The New York Times published its investigation detailing allegations of sexual harassment and abuse at the hands of Weinstein.
Dozens of women have since made allegations, leading to Weinstein being fired from his studio, The Weinstein Company (TWC), and police launching investigations in London, New York and Los Angeles.
To cheers from the crowd, McGowan said: “I’ve been silenced for 20 years, I’ve been slut-shamed, I’ve been harassed, I’ve been maligned, and you know what I’m just like you because what happened to me behind the scenes happens to all of us in this society and that cannot stand and it will not stand.
“I came to be a voice for all of us who have been told we are nothing, for all of us who have been looked down on, for all of us who have been grabbed by the mother-f****** pussy.
“No more. Name it, shame it, call it out. Join me, join all of us as we amplify each others’ voices and we do what is right for us and our for sisters and for this planet.”
McGowan’s call to end the silence came after The New York Times reported that Weinstein paid her a 100,000 dollar (£76,000) settlement in 1997 to “avoid litigation and buy peace” over an incident in a hotel room during the Sundance Film Festival.
McGowan also called out Hollywood, the “mirror you’re given to look into”, for overwhelmingly employing men as directors.
“I know the men behind that view and they should not be in your mind and they should not be in mine. It’s time to clean the house,” she said.
McGowan, who has starred in Scream and Planet Terror, thanked everyone who has used the #MeToo hashtag on Twitter to call out abusers as well as those who have supported her.
“I want to thank you for being here, for giving me wings during this very difficult time, the triggering has been insane, the monster’s face everywhere, my nightmare, but I know I’m not alone,” she added.
Weinstein, 65, has “unequivocally denied” allegations of non-consensual sex and is suing TWC for access to his company emails in order to defend himself.
