The actress hopes people 'can use this as an opportunity to look within' and still go to see the movie despite the controversy surrounding the director.
- Sep 3, 2016
AceShowbiz - Gabrielle Union broke her silence on the rape trial controversy involving "The Birth of a Nation" director/actor Nate Parker. The actress who played a rape victim in the movie wrote in an op-ed on The Los Angeles Times, "Since Nate Parker's story was revealed to me, I have found myself in a state of stomach-churning confusion."
A victim of sexual assault herself, Union said, "I took this role because I related to the experience. I also wanted to give a voice to my character, who remains silent throughout the film. In her silence, she represents countless black women who have been and continue to be violated. Women without a voice, without power. Women in general. But black women in particular. I knew I could walk out of our movie and speak to the audience about what it feels like to be a survivor."
The star said she was raped at gunpoint twenty four years ago. "My compassion for victims of sexual violence is something that I cannot control," she added. "It spills out of me like an instinct rather than a choice. It pushes me to speak when I want to run away from the platform. When I am scared. Confused. Ashamed. I remember this part of myself and must reach out to anyone who will listen - other survivors, or even potential perpetrators."
"As important and ground-breaking as this film is, I cannot take these allegations lightly. On that night, 17-odd years ago, did Nate have his date's consent? It's very possible he thought he did. Yet by his own admission he did not have verbal affirmation; and even if she never said 'no,' silence certainly does not equal 'yes.' Although it's often difficult to read and understand body language, the fact that some individuals interpret the absence of a 'no' as a 'yes' is problematic at least, criminal at worst. That's why education on this issue is so vital."
When it came to Parker's alleged crime, Union said, "I still don't actually know. Nor does anyone who was not in that room" even "after reading all 700 pages of the trial transcript." But she made it clear that the movie should continue despite the scandal, "I believe that the film is an opportunity to inform and educate so that these situations cease to occur on college campuses, in dorm rooms, in fraternities, in apartments or anywhere else young people get together to socialize."
"It is my hope that we can use this as an opportunity to look within. To open up the conversation. To reach out to organizations which are working hard to prevent these kinds of crimes. And to support its victims. To donate time or money. To play an active role in creating a ripple that will change the ingrained misogyny that permeates our culture. And to eventually wipe the stain clean."
