Harvey Weinstein

[Nancy OShea]

Harvey Weinstein, Hollywood’s Oldest Horror Story - The New York Times

A woman film maker I've known for many years had this to say today on her Facebook page.

"Regarding Weinstein, I had something very similar to Asia Argento's story happen to me with a member of the Spanish film industry in 2003.

I was young and excited about a possible career in film. This man used that to create an opportunity for a physical encounter in which he repeatedly disregarded the word "no."

I never spoke about it because I felt there was too much of a gray area to make any accusations, since I did not leave or physically fight him off. After many "no's", I became emotionally exhausted and finally gave consent.

However, the incident was destructive to my psyche and sense of self for years.

I later found out that the man in question went to jail for sexually assaulting multiple other young women.

I'm writing this now because I have spent years of my life wondering if something was wrong with me because this happened -- and I feel an obligation to add my thread to this narrative so that other women can realize they are not alone.

This story has been my secret and my private shame for years. That will no longer be the case.

Women and men who have experienced similar situations, let's band together and focus on making the art that fights this cancer in our society.

ADDENDUM: I want to state that by no means do I think that all men and women with stories like this are obligated to tell them. The personal and emotional cost can be hugely destructive. That's why it took me over 10 years to talk about this.

However, I personally felt obligated because I knew it was a story I was emotionally ready to tell.