Series creators Rebecca Sugar, Shadi Petosky and Lauren Faust among 217 signatories on open letter sent to a dozen studios demanding an end to sexism and sexual harassment in the animation industry.
Pearl, Garnet and Amethyst from Cartoon Network series ‘Steven Universe’ created by Rebecca Sugar.
More than 200 women and non-gender conforming people working within the animation industry have issued an open letter to studios demanding an end to sexism and sexual harassment in the animation industry, Buzzfeed reports.
Signed by 217 individuals, the letter was reportedly sent on Thursday to executives at Disney, Cartoon Network, Nickelodeon, DreamWorks Animation, Bento Box, OddBot, Paramount, Shadowmachine, Sony Pictures Animation, Stoopid Buddy Stoodios, Titmouse and Warner Bros.
Women with creator credits -- of which there are precious few -- joined in to endorse the letter’s message, including Rebecca Sugar, the creator of Cartoon Network series Steven Universe; Shadi Petosky, the creator of Amazon’s Danger & Eggs; and Lauren Faust, the creator of Hasbro’s My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic.
The letter calls for three actions: that each studio put in place clear and enforceable sexual harassment policies and take every report seriously; that The Animation Guild add language in its constitution that will allow it to censure, fine, suspend or expel any members of the guild found guilty of acts, omissions, or conduct prejudicial to the welfare of the guild; and that male colleagues begin standing up for their female and non-gender conforming coworkers and speak out against harassing behaviors when they are aware of them.
The full text of the open letter is shown below:
An Open Letter to the Animation Community
We, the women and gender non-conforming people of the animation community, would like to address and highlight the pervasive problem of sexism and sexual harassment in our business. We write this letter with the hope that change is possible, and ask that you listen to our stories and then make every effort to bring a real and lasting change to the culture of animation studios.
In the wake of the Harvey Weinstein scandal, many of the women who work in animation have begun discussing more openly issues that we have dealt with quietly throughout our careers. As we came together to share our stories of sexism, sexual harassment and, in some cases, sexual assault, we were struck by the pervasiveness of the problem. Every one of us has a story to share, from tossed-off comments about our body parts that were framed as “jokes” to women being cornered in dark rooms by male colleagues to criminal assault.
Our business has always been male-dominated. Women make up only 23% of union employees, so it’s no surprise that problems with sexism and sexual harassment exist. Sexual harassment and assault are widespread issues that primarily affect women, with women of color, members of the LGBTQ+ community and other marginalized groups affected at an even greater rate.
As more women have entered the animation workforce, it seems that some men have not embraced this change. They still frequently make crass sexual remarks that make it clear women are not welcome on their crews. Some have pressed colleagues for romantic or sexual relationships, despite our clear disinterest. And some have seen the entrance of more women into the industry as an opportunity to exploit and victimize younger workers on their crews who are looking for mentorship. In addition, when sexual predators are caught at one workplace, they seem to easily find a job at another studio, sometimes even following their victims from job to job. We are tired of relying on whisper networks to know who isn’t safe to meet with alone. We want our supervisors to protect us from harassment and assault.
This abuse has got to stop.
The signatories of this letter demand that you take sexual harassment seriously. We ask that:
1. Every studio puts in place clear and enforceable sexual harassment policies and takes every report seriously. It must be clear to studio leadership, including producers, that, no matter who the abuser is, they must investigate every report or face consequences themselves.
2. The Animation Guild add language in our constitution that states that it can “censure, fine, suspend or expel any member of the guild who shall, in the opinion of the Executive Board, be found guilty of any act, omission, or conduct which is prejudicial to the welfare of the guild.” To craft and support the new language, we ask that an Anti-Harassment and Discrimination Committee be created to help educate and prevent future occurrences.
3. Our male colleagues start speaking up and standing up for us. When their co-workers make sexist remarks, or when they see sexual harassment happening, we expect them to say something. Stop making excuses for bad behavior in your friends and co-workers, and tell them what they are doing is wrong.
It has not been easy for us to share our stories with each other. Many of us were afraid because our victimizers are powerful or well-liked. Others were worried that if they came forward it would affect their careers. Some of us have come forward in the past, only to have our concerns brushed aside, or for our supervisors to tell us “he’s just from a different era.” All of us are saddened and disheartened to hear how widespread the problem of sexual harassment still is in the animation industry, and how many of our friends had been suffering in secret.
It is with this in mind that we resolve to do everything we can to prevent anyone else from being victimized. We are united in our mission to wipe out sexual harassment in the animation industry, and we will no longer be silent.
Signed,
This latest move comes in the wake of allegations of sexual harassment and misconduct by The Weinstein Company co-founder Harvey Weinstein, and a widespread social media campaign with the hashtag #MeToo to raise awareness of the prevalence of sexual harassment in all industries.
Earlier this week, it was also reported that Nickelodeon has suspended The Loud House creator Chris Savino following allegations of sexual harassment. The studio has refused to comment on the situation amid reports of dozens of women coming forward with allegations of abuse.
Head over to Buzzfeed to read the full report.
Formerly Editor-in-Chief of Animation World Network, Jennifer Wolfe has worked in the Media & Entertainment industry as a writer and PR professional since 2003.
