he was doing,
we would change the culture for women.
But I don’t think it has. People who have
that amount of power are still able to use
their power to do what they want.
PAULA WILLIAMS: We approach it not as vic-
tims, but as voices of change. As long as we
all speak up, we can change this. We don’t
have to play this game anymore.
MELISSA THOMPSON: I went to the hospital
recently. I thought I had appendicitis, but it
turned out to be a large tumor in my spine.
It’s breast cancer that has metastasized to my
bones and lymph nodes. I start radiation next
week, but there is no cure. Now I’m looking at
everything I do through the lens of the legacy
I will be leaving for my amazingly happy,
strong, beautiful daughter. She’s only four. I
will not leave my daughter a world in which
the systems that allowed one bad man to prey
upon women for decades remain intact. I want
my daughter to know that good will overcome
evil. I want her heart to genuinely trust with-
out fear. I want her to know that her voice—the
voice of good—will be heard and will matter.
ROSANNA ARQUETTE: We opened up a huge
Pandora’s box. It’s out, and the world is never
going to be the same. For the many preda-
tors who have not been named yet, there is
nowhere left to hide.
THE TRIALJESSICA BARTH: Our nation is watching this
trial. Whatever happens, it’s going to set a
precedent. And I am hoping with every fiber
of my being that the precedent is, “If you
rape women, if you abuse your power, then
you go to jail.” Because if Harvey Weinstein
can’t go to jail, with a hundred women com-
ing forward, then what is going to stop other
predators from preying on women?
LAUREN SIVAN: He should go to jail. The
way he cavorted around town in New York
ahead of his trial—he was thumbing his nose
at the accusations. We’re all kind of holding
our breath for this trial. It’s not going to be
easy, and we have to brace ourselves for a
not-guilty verdict. But if it goes the other way,
and he is convicted, it will send a strong mes-
sage that this is over.
LYSETTE ANTHONY: His lawyer seems to
me like Cruella de Vil. How can a woman
sit there and say, “If you don’t want to be a
victim, don’t go to his room”? It’s so abso-
lutely, quintessential Harvey. What they’re
going to say is, “Oh, this big, fat, ugly, awful
guy. Poor man. These really ambitious
bloody actresses, all hurling themselves
up. It’s all about career advancement.”
His lawyer says, “Maybe what he did was
not great behavior, but it wasn’t a crime.”
It was a crime. I kind of get fueled by rage.
[She pauses, overcome by tears.] He should be
made to hear what he’s done.
JESSICA BARTH: If you calculate the years
he’s stolen from so many people, I think he
deserves to spend the rest of his life in jail.
KAJA SOKOLA: I just hope that justice will
come to his victims. And that the women
will stick together and support each other.
And that this case will be a milestone and
change forever the way men in positions of
power treat women who are climbing the
ladder of success.
DOMINIQUE HUETT: It’s going to set a prec-
edent that these are crimes, and it was illegal
that he did this to women over the course of a
few decades. Justice to me would be a better
number for the civil suit, as well as criminal
penalties. He took away people’s dreams.
ZELDA PERKINS: Whether Harvey goes to
jail or not is kind of a moot point to me. Real
change is legislation and regulation. There’s
always going to be a Harvey. There’s always
going to be a Trump. There’s always going to
be a Matt Lauer. There’s always going to be
men or women within their realm of power
who lose sight of how they should behave.
The whole point of law is that we created it to
protect ourselves from ourselves. And if the
law doesn’t work, we’re screwed. I’m pleased
that Harvey is being brought to account. But
it’s the whole environment of abusive power
that needs to be brought to account. That
includes our justice system—it’s on trial as
much as Harvey is.
EMILY NESTOR: I wish he was capable of
understanding the pain he’s caused people—
that he wasn’t entitled to it, that he didn’t
help women, that he tortured them, put them
in these horrific situations, hurt them physi-
cally for years and years and years—and feel
some guilt or regret for it. I think the likeli-
hood of that is slim. He seems incapable of
recognizing any culpability.
JASMINE LOBE: He’s said that he feels he’s a
scapegoat. He’s not. He’s a criminal. I want to
see him held accountable because if he isn’t,
it basically gives a green light to all the preda-
tors who have money and power.
KADIAN NOBLE: He doesn’t need to get out.
He’s a disgusting predator. He has no mor-
als. He has no empathy. He’s no good to
humanity. He just needs to be locked away,
and that’s it.
CAITLIN DULANY: I’m glad that Harvey has
had to defend himself to the tune of millions
and millions of dollars. I’m glad that his lifehas unraveled. I feel that all of us women who
spoke out had everything to do with that. It’s
unbelievable to me that he denies that any of
this was nonconsensual—it’s so unbelievably
offensive and difficult to swallow. But I can
let go of that if he is convicted of his crimes
through a fair trial.
KATHERINE KENDALL: This is not just about
the entertainment industry. This is not just
about one producer. This is about all of the
women and men who have ever had a perpe-
trator put them in a position that caused them
great shame. I think there will be an uproar
if he doesn’t go to jail. He’s delusional and
thinks he’s above the law. He’s a very intel-
ligent, dangerous, abusive man, and I think
he’s a predator. Plain and simple, he’s from
the animal kingdom.
ERIKA ROSENBAUM: I hope it goes the right
way. It’s time for a change. It’s not right that
we and our daughters are going through the
world looking over our shoulder and at a
disadvantage because we are in this female
body. That shouldn’t be a risk factor. But
whichever way it goes, the work will contin-
ue. The warriors are not going to put down
their weapons.
LARISSA GOMES: The world is watching. This
could be a revolutionary cultural moment.
ROSE McGOWAN: That we’ve collectively
come to this moment of justice is staggering.
The trial means so much to so many, but it
will mean the most to the brave women tes-
tifying. I thank them deeply for standing for
all of us survivors, and especially themselves.
LAUREN O’CONNOR: What gives me a lot of
heart is the progress that’s been made, as evi-
denced by the very fact that he was indicted.
A decade ago that would never have hap-
pened. And look at the recently announced
settlement—it’s a watershed moment. Repa-
rations for sexual assault, harassment, and
abuse have been issued and are not tied to
NDAs. That means there is acknowledgment
and compensation being given to victims
without silence being demanded. And that
is remarkable.
AMBRA BATTILANA GUTIERREZ: Justice for
me is very simple: to treat this person as a
common man who assaulted and harassed
more than 100 women. He abused his power,
and he should get what he deserves.
PAULA WILLIAMS: I want justice to be served.
But I’ll be perfectly honest: I don’t really care
what happens to him. I don’t like that he’s
taking up any more of the space in my head
than he already has. So I’m kind of looking
at the trial from a distance. I’m protecting
myself. I don’t want to be let down.
ROSANNA ARQUETTE: Harvey Weinstein is
a broken, miserable, angry, and deeply dam-
aged human being. He deserves to be held
accountable for his actions. This is a man
who abused his power more than anyone
we’ve ever seen, besides the president of
the United States. His destructive behaviorWeinstein