An Open Letter To Rose McGowan

To Rose McGowan,

Whether we like it or not, we must agree that the world is changing. The changes are brought upon by the oppressed. They are changing the narrative as we speak. We have the perfect example of the Parkland shooting survivors. These children are taking on the roles of the very adults that should be protecting them in the first place. We keep stating that children are the future but when they rise and start to question the so-called established laws and regulations that are based on personal greed and deception we dismiss them and say that they are just overreacting and or “acting-out” as teenagers are prone to do. They are not being heard and they have taken a stand to ensure that they will no longer be disregarded. This is a fight that women have been fighting for quite some time and it seems like they will be fighting for their rights and their voices to be heard for far much longer. We can see this with the movements that promote women’s empowerment. There is a progress but as we still notice that women are still enduring scrutiny. But what is astonishing is that the scrutiny is coming from fellow women.

Whoever said, “A woman is a woman’s worst enemy” could not be more accurate. As women, we need to unite and fight the dominant discourses of patriarchy that have been established in our society. But it seems as if all that we are doing is saying, “oh, she’s fake so she doesn’t deserve to be helped” and so on. NO. THIS IS NOT WHAT WE SHOULD BE LIKE. We need to be the ones to help one another up when the other is down. Fight for and with the women who have been courageous to have spoken up against the wrongdoings that have been done to them. We should not push the people that are forthcoming with their help away from us just because we “think” that they have other motives.

Just because a woman hasn’t come forth with her story of abuse in some form of way does not allow others to assume that she might be doing this to “just follow the trend.” Most of all, we should not attack the ones who spoke later that they should have. Not everyone has the courage speak up but when they do we should appreciate their strength, rather than find ways to belittle them further. The main reasons for many to suppress themselves are because they are afraid of the backlash that they will receive.

To you, Rose, I want to say this as a fan and a fellow comrade who stands with you on your fight against the voices that have tried to suppress: do not push away those who say are there for you. I say this because it deters the audience from the actual message. There are several instances in which I believe that you could have handled yourself more diplomatically.

For example, during the Golden Globes, when the men and women showed their solidarity with the movement, it should have been a step to show that “Yes! People are acknowledging the problem.” Instead, it was, “oh they are doing this to attract attention to them.”

After that was the interview in which you publicly blasted Alyssa Milano who had been supporting the #MeToo Movement, for being in it for the wrong reasons and do this as a marketing ploy that would benefit her. That statement was neither needed or deserved to be broadcasted because all it did, in the end, was defer the public away from the actual topic at hand and made them focus on the “feud.” As if this was not enough when you were confronted by a member of the transgender community, rather then acknowledging their grievances against you, you took it upon yourself to belittle her by stating “what has she done for women?”

I believe that it was a situation that no one should hope to be found in, but it could have been handled much differently and appropriately that would not garner headlines such as “Rose McGowan unleashes on a transgender protester in on-stage meltdown.” As a person who has dealt with obstacles her whole life, we expect more from you.

This isn’t another letter that will be published to show resentment or state grievances against you but a wishful thought from a fan who does not want to see your name be muddied further in the media. Being angry and or vengeful is not a bad thing, but we must be able to use this to create a spark inside us to rise above rather than be consumed by the fire that we set in the first place.