Sexual assault and harassment has taken place in the one the biggest industries in the world.

Only now, many celebrities have begun to speak out on being a victim of sexual harassment. There had been many trending hashtags on Twitter, celebrities sharing their stories with #Metoo and #timesup.

I am glad women, and men who had been harassed as child actors, are finally using their platform to speak up against this wrong in Hollywood. I am glad people like Harvey Weinstein, Kevin Spacey and Woody Allen are being called out for their actions and everyone is finding out  what kind of people they really are.

Most recently, during the Golden Globes, everyone who attended wore black and some wore a pin that said “Time’s Up” as a silent protest against sexual harassment for women in the workplace.

But why be silent?

Silence is the issue. The more silence there is, the more the assaulter can get away with their acts. With silence comes no progress, which is why I was confused as to why all these celebrities are given a platform at the Golden Globes and only chose to participate in a silent protest.

Women being respected and feeling safe is an important issue that includes half of the world’s population.

I am not trying to disregard the fact that many celebrities have spoken out and used their platform to bring light to such an important issue. However, I feel like since people have spoken out, they should not participate in a protest that would not be as helpful.

The Golden Globes was attended by many people who had been victims, and possibly assaulters who had not yet been caught. I read on a Twitter moment, and this can be applied to all assaulters: “If Harvey Weinstein had not been caught, he would be sitting at the Golden Globes wearing a “TimesUp” pin and participating in this silent protest.” It is easy for anyone to participate in a silent protest, easy for even the assaulters themselves.

Instead of silence, people should empower their voice with the truth.