Time’s Up: 300 Women in the Film Industry Launch Initiative to Fight Sexual Harassment

300 women in the film industry are coming together to say that Time’s Up on sexual harassment. Kerry Washington, Natalie Portman, Brie Larson, Ashley Judd, Reese Witherspoon, and many more have formed Time’s Up, a new initiative announced via a full-age ad in the New York Times this morning. Their goal: to fight sexual harassment in Hollywood and beyond.

Here are the main tenets of their plans, as described by the Times:

— A legal defense fund, backed by $13 million in donations, to help less privileged women — like janitors, nurses and workers at farms, factories, restaurants and hotels — protect themselves from sexual misconduct and the fallout from reporting it.

— Legislation to penalize companies that tolerate persistent harassment, and to discourage the use of nondisclosure agreements to silence victims.

— A drive to reach gender parity at studios and talent agencies that has already begun making headway.

— And a request that women walking the red carpet at the Golden Globes speak out and raise awareness by wearing black.

Time’s Up represents the most organized attempt to fight back against the problems that have been plaguing Hollywood for decades but have become widely known in the last few months. The group is officially leaderless but also includes Shonda Rhimes, America Ferrera, Emma Stone, Rashida Jones, Eva Longoria, Amber Tamblyn, Ellen Page, and many others.

Several of them took to Twitter to announce their intentions:

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