Rose McGowan took the stage at the Women’s Convention in Detroit on Friday morning to speak publicly for the first time since sexual misconduct allegations against Harvey Weinstein have come to light.
“I have been silenced for 20 years. I have been slut-shamed. I have been harassed. I’ve been maligned. And you know what? I’m just like you,” she told the crowd. “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.”
She continued, “My sisters, our allies, our brothers — we are no nation, we are no country, we belong to no flag. We are a planet of women and you will hear us roar.”
McGowan has emerged as a strong voice for women as allegations of sexual harassment have flooded social media in the wake of the Weinstein scandal. McGowan was named in this month’s explosive New York Times story along with other women who alleged that Harvey Weinstein committed sexual assault — and a week later, she said the movie mogul raped her.
McGowan was identified as one of eight women to accept a financial settlement from Weinstein following allegations of sexual misconduct, as was revealed in Ronan Farrow’s explosive New Yorker story.
Since being named in the New York Times piece, McGowan has been vocal on Twitter, calling out Weinstein, The Weinstein Company, and people known to be friends or associates. The actress also launched a petition to dissolve TWC, and aimed harsh criticism at several people, including Ben Affleck, who she told to “f– off” in a tweet that remains on Twitter as of this writing.
“No more!” she said in her fiery speech on Friday. “Name it, shame it, call it out, join me, join all of us as we amplify each other’s voices and we do what is right for us.”
In 2016, McGowan said on Twitter that “my ex sold our movie to my rapist for distribution,” a statement widely believed to be about Weinstein.
“Hollywood may seem like it’s an isolated thing, but it is not,” McGowan said during her speech on Friday. “It is the messaging system for your mind. It is the mirror that you’re given to look into. This is what you are as a woman. This is what you are as a man. This is what you are as a boy. Girl. Gay. Straight. Transgender.”
She continued: “But it’s all told through 96 percent males in the Directors’ Guild of America. That statistic has not changed since 1946, so we are given one view. And 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 house.”
Thrusting her fist in the air, McGowan roared, “Pu–y grab back! Women grab back!”
Weinstein was fired from The Weinstein Company and is under criminal investigation in New York, London and Los Angeles after several women came forward to accuse him of sexual misconduct, including harassment and rape. A representative for Weinstein has stated, “Any allegations of non-consensual sex are unequivocally denied by Mr. Weinstein. Mr. Weinstein has further confirmed that there were never any acts of retaliation against any women for refusing his advances.”
Watch the video above.