Time's Up

Back in November I blogged about #metoo, the hashtag used to raise awareness of and denounce sexual assault and harassment. This was initially in relation to the abuse of power in the entertainment industry but the hashtag has spread to include not only harassment in the workplace but in every aspect of everyday life.

TIME'S UP is a response to #metoo - taking the awareness raised by the hashtag and looking at what can be done to stop sexual harassment for good. It represents a unified call for change from women in entertainment for women everywhere. The movement states that it spans "from movie sets to farm fields to boardrooms alike". It was launched on 1 January 2018 with an open letter signed by hundreds of women in the entertainment industry. The initiative received a further high-profile endorsement on Sunday as hundreds of world-famous female and male stars wore black as a show of solidarity for all victims of sexual assault and/or harassment.

This initiative is certainly a step in the right direction in raising awareness of the discrimination and harassment which, unfortunately, is still faced by many. However, it is important to remember that there are nine protected characteristics: age; disability; gender reassignment; marriage and civil partnership; pregnancy and maternity; race; religion or belief; sex; and sexual...