Eventually it was settled. I had to sign a gag order. This is the problem: Gag orders and nondisclosure agreements are wholly designed to protect the perpetrator and the company. The person who should be protected is left tongue-tied for the rest of their life, dreams crushed.

— A.A.

“I was almost immediately fired”

I work in Hollywood as a crew member. I have been blacklisted from employment for complaining to human resources for being sexually harassed and assaulted. It began four years ago when I was working on a film for a major studio, when I was inappropriately touched by my supervisor and the director of the film. I was almost immediately fired after they sabotaged my work performance. When I complained to human resources, they put me “on trial,” making it sound like I had fabricated the incidents to retaliate for me being fired.

They accused me of petty grievances such as being two minutes late and failing to report the incident sooner (which was due to the fact that I was afraid). The director that assaulted me went on to defame me, which caused me to lose two jobs that I was offered on two other films for another studio.

Even though I was already offered the jobs by the hiring managers, they came back later to rescind the offers because the producers had communicated with the director that assaulted me. I tried to retain an attorney, but no one wanted to represent me against a big studio.

— Name Withheld

“He will ruin your career”

Some women said they suffered consequences after speaking up about abuses or being treated unfairly.

I spent two years as a nurse coordinator for young adult cancer patients. Every week, I watched as the physician harmed patients through his neglect and apathy. He shamed them and broke their spirits, even their will to live.

I was a relentless advocate for their mental, emotional and physical health, which angered the physician to the point that he would shout, yell, storm out of meetings and regularly demand my removal for “displaying emotion” and “questioning him.”