【2002 Archives】

002 Archives#MeToo movement has felt relatively one-sided, as many of the women in Hollywood took initiative and risked everything, whether by telling their stories or helping to launch the Time's Up campaign. Meanwhile, apart from a few notable exceptions, most of the men in Hollywood stuck to providing hottakes on what the "real" issues are -- or wearing a pin.

Until now.

In an open letter published by Deadline and signed by producers, writers, activist groups, and actors like David Schwimmer and David Arquette, men in Hollywood launched their own hashtagged campaign: #AskMoreOfHim.

Mashable Trend Report Decode what’s viral, what’s next, and what it all means. Sign up for Mashable’s weekly Trend Report newsletter. By clicking Sign Me Up, you confirm you are 16+ and agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Thanks for signing up!

SEE ALSO: Matt Damon finally gets it right: 'I should get in the back seat and close my mouth for a while'

"We are in awe of their strength and commitment to speaking truth to power. But our awe is not enough," the letter stated. "As men, we have a special responsibility to prevent abuse from happening in the first place."

The statement also went on to address the understandable skepticism some might feel toward this movement, admitting that, "Men are imperfect. We are imperfect. And many men, including perhaps some of us, may have enabled the bad behavior of others or acted in ways we now regret."

#AskMoreOfMen is what we need to make #MeToo feel less one-sided Credit: Theo Wargo/Getty Images

The efforts are welcome, answering the call many have been making for the men in Hollywood to take a definitive stand to be part of the solution that predominantly begins with male predators.

You can read the letter in full below, via Deadline:

We applaud the courage and pledge our support to the courageous women – men, and gender non-conforming individuals – who have come forward to recount their experiences of harassment, abuse, and violence at the hands of men in our country. It is never easy for someone who’s been harassed or bullied to speak up, especially when the abuse is sexual. These people are our colleagues and friends. They are fellow artists and craftspeople. They are also our partners, siblings, parents, and children. We are in awe of their strength and commitment to speaking truth to power.

But our awe is not enough. As men, we have a special responsibility to prevent abuse from happening in the first place. After all, the vast majority of sexual harassment, abuse, and violence is perpetrated by men, whether in Hollywood or not. And in entertainment – like many industries – men continue to hold most of the decision-making power. Therefore, one of the most powerful things that men can and must do is make it clear to other men – including their friends, colleagues, and co-workers – that sexual harassment and abuse are never acceptable. This goes for everything from sexist and degrading comments, right up to domestic violence and sexual assault.

Some may question our motives for signing this statement and we aim to counteract their skepticism by being painfully honest. Men are imperfect. We are imperfect. And many men, including perhaps some of us, may have enabled the bad behavior of others or acted in ways we now regret. Nonetheless, we believe that men must speak out against sexism, even as we engage in our own process of critical self-reflection, personal growth, and accountability.

So consider this our pledge to support survivors, condemn sexism wherever we see it, and hold ourselves and others accountable. As advocates, actors, writers, producers, and directors, we hope that our actions will inspire other men to join us. Until now, only a small number of them have been actively engaged in this effort. This must change. It’s time we #AskMoreOfHim.

Sincerely,

David ArquetteJustin BaldoniBen BerkowitzMax BerkowitzSteven BrillGeoff CallanKirby DickJim HerzfeldByron HurtMatt McGorryMichael NathansonJason NewmanDavid SchwimmerBen SilvermanJason SmilovicDennis BarbourGary BarkerEric BartholdJonathan KalinJackson KatzMichael KimmelJosh LevsDon McPhersonMichael A. MessnerPedro NogueraRob OkunIanta SummersA Call to MenFutures Without ViolenceThe Representation Project

---

Featured Video For You

---

Kesha’s Grammy performance brought the music world to tears

---

Topics Activism Social Good

(Editor: {typename type="name"/})