Harvey Weinstein Is A Convicted Rapist. Here's Why Those Words Matter.
Not an alleged rapist. Not a Hollywood mogul facing claims of rape and assault. Not innocent until proved guilty. A rapist. A sex offender. A man in handcuffs.
On Monday, after five days of deliberating, a jury found Weinstein guilty of third-degree rape and a first-degree criminal sexual act. This decision specifically affirmed the testimony of Mimi Haleyi, who told the court about how Weinstein removed a tampon from her body and forcibly performed oral sex on her in 2006, and of Jessica Mann, who told the jury that Weinstein raped her in her hotel room after she invited him to a professional breakfast meeting. (Weinstein was found not guilty on two charges of predatory sexual assault and was cleared of rape in the first degree.)
While Weinstein awaits sentencing on March 11, he will be sitting in a jail cell.
Actor Larissa Gomes, one of nearly 20 Weinstein “silence breakers” who joined a press call on Monday afternoon, was in the car driving her son to preschool when she first found out about the verdict. She said she was floored when she saw the news alert on her phone: “Guilty.”
“I was ecstatic to read the word,” she said.
Although they all expressed frustration that the jurors had not delivered a guilty verdict on all charges, many silence breakers echoed Gomes’s sentiments, pointing specifically to the sort of permanent record that a guilty verdict creates.
“Now Harvey Weinstein is a convicted rapist.” ― Zoe Brock
“Harvey Weinstein, guilty of rape.” ― Rosanna Arquette
“He is a convicted sexual predator. He is going to jail for at least five years and this is only the beginning.” ― Sarah Ann Masse
“He’s in Rikers Island. For once he won’t be sitting comfortably. For once he will know what it’s like to have power wrapped around his neck.” ― Rose McGowan
In an email, writer and actor Jasmine Lobe stressed to me how important language is, especially when it comes to...
