www.vulture.com: In one of the first major stories of sexual misconduct in the theater world since London’s Old Vic received 20 allegations against Kevin Spacey, nine women have spoken to the New York Times with claims of sexual misconduct, including assault and rape, against playwright Israel Horovitz.
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People across all industries are finally being called out for sexual assault actions and rape, and that's all because of the powerful women that are willing to share their stories and constantly relive these horrible events. Israel Horovitz was a great playwright, but now his name has been ruined forever, and he is still denying it. The fact that he is "shocked" by these accusations just proves that he abused his power as a good playwright and the gift he had to take advantage of so many young women. I am glad to hear that the theater has cut ties with him, and I am glad to hear that his son also stands with these women. Family members shouldn't excuse what a male does to abuse his power against women, and they need to be punished for their actions. Just because they're "family" doesn't make what they did okay, and his son recognizes that which means he is stronger than his father.
This particular instance is gripping for a couple reasons. The first is that - as many have feared - the allegations that made such waves in Hollywood are now beginning to ripple over into theater. The article points to the Old Vic's decidedly poor handling of reports of harassment at the hands of Kevin Spacey; indeed, if this kind of thing is happening at the Old Vic, where else has it been going on? I would very much like to think that Broadway, at least, is a better environment for women and that that is why no one has come forward with allegations, but as a woman in the world I must doubt that. The second reason this incident stands out is that Horovitz's own son has come out in support of the women making the allegations. As much as I wish it weren't so, affirmation like this - from Horovitz's family and a man, no less - does wonders for allegations like these being taken seriously.
I really enjoyed this article as it was a glimpse into what can be possible if women will band together and work to make the world a better place for the women around them. It feels a little like a broken record but people need to hire more women just to crack open the doors just enough that a few people can start to make the change. It will only take a few and then the floodgates will open and real change can occur. This is going to take effort of more than just women it will take the work of every individual who can be a source of change. Personally, I don’t want this conversation to stop until real progress has been made. And until the offenders are no longer allowed to sweep their mistakes under the rug and pretend they never happened. We have a long way to go but this means that we’re headed in the right direction!
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