Director Ryan Coogler: Men need to “be allies to the women in our industry”

Luther Vandross was outed as gay after his death.

Ryan Coogler is adding his voice to the many that are speaking out about the Harvey Weinstein sexual assault scandal.

Coogler addressed the fact that Weinstein had purchased his first feature film, Fruitvale Station, though Coogler noted that he was unaware of the “predatory behavior” and had no business dealings with Weinstein after that.

Still, he noted, “My career did benefit from this brief involvement. Because of that, I feel a responsibility to speak up on this issue.”

— Kellyanne Conway blasts Clinton for taking too long to address Weinstein scandal — 

He went in to address not only the allegations concerning Weinstein but the general gender inequalities facing women in the industry.

“But I work in an industry that too many times has proven to not be a safe space for women,” he said, going on to say that the men in the industry needed to be allies for women.

He wrote, “As men we sit in positions of privilege. It is our responsibility to leverage our position, and be allies to the women in our industry. We need to do everything we can to make sure violations like these don’t continue to happen. The first step is to listen. Salute to the brave women who came forward. I could never imagine how difficult that must be.”

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