New York lawmaker introduces legislation to protect models from harassment following Weinstein revelations
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E-mail Xinhua, October 24, 2017
NEW YORK, Oct. 23 (Xinhua) -- A lawmaker of U.S. state of New York Monday announced the introduction of legislation that would provide models with protection against sexual and other forms of harassment in the industry.
The bill, referred to as the "Models' Harassment Protection Act," follows months of research and coordination with the Model Alliance, a research and policy organization that advocates for labor rights for models and other workers in the fashion industry, according to a press release issued by New York State (NYS) Assemblywoman Nily Rozic on her NYS Assembly website.
"If there is anything we are learning from over the past few weeks is that we have reached a turning point whether to accept sexual harassment as a norm, or end the cycle by enacting protections and providing a path of recourse," said Rozic. "No one should ever experience sexual harassment in or outside of the workplace."
"Models lack basic rights and protections as workers, including protection against sexual harassment," said Sara Ziff, a model and the founder and executive director of the Model Alliance.
"For years, other models and I have spoken out about systemic sexual harassment and abuse on the job - and yet, powerful individuals have tried to silence us and tacitly given approval that this behavior is okay. Sexual harassment is not okay and should not be tolerated by models, nor should it be tolerated by our industry."
Critical to the bill is establishing that the provisions apply to models regardless of their status as employees or independent contractors, the release said.
In the United States, fashion models are generally considered as independent contractors, excluding them from protections against harassment and discrimination afforded to employees under state law.
The inconsistencies in classification in addition to the way modeling agencies have been able to skirt around state law and regulations have cultivated a workplace environment that lacks accountability.
The bill would address loopholes in current law by making it an unlawful discriminatory practice for a modeling entity, whether it be a management agency or company, to subject a model to harassment, regardless of their status as an independent contractor or employee.
Harassment includes but is not limited to unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, and harassment based on age, race, national origin, color, sexual orientation, sex, and disability.
Rozic's announcement coincides with her recent sponsorship of legislation that would prohibit the use of non-disclosure agreements to conceal cases of sexual harassment following the revelations that Harvey Weinstein, a prominent American film producer, had allegedly sexually harassed many actresses.
Both bills would serve as steps towards challenging the status quo that permeate workplace culture across various industries, the release said. Enditem
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