One of the biggest fears that kept so many people silent about their experiences before the Harvey Weinstein rape accusations and the numerous outings that have followed was the fear of reprisal.
Well, Rose McGowan spoke up. In fact, she’s been one of the most prominent voices in the efforts to expose and cast out harassers and abusers in the entertainment industry.
And now she’s been arrested … for drug charges that date back to the beginning of 2017.
If you’d told us years ago that Rose McGowan was going to be at the forefront of a chorus of brave voices calling for a shift in the culture that makes women afraid to be alone with their male coworkers …
Actually, we’d have believed you.
It was in 2016 that Rose McGowen revealed that she’d been raped by a Hollywood executive.
We didn’t know by whom, at the time, though rumors have surrounded a number of powerful men in Hollywood for years and even decades.
Almost exactly one year after she revealed her sexual assault, Rose McGowan named Harvey Weinstein as her rapist.
She was, at that point, adding her voice to others — who had accused Weinstein of grotesque harassment as well as sexual assault.
But we still cannot imagine the kind of bravery that she needed to muster in order to speak up.
It appears that Rose McGowan’s outspokenness may have come back to bite her.
We don’t know if this is some sort of reprisal or just a very unfortunate and unjust coincidence.
Just at the end of October, we learned that a warrant for Rose McGowan’s arrest had been issued.
The warrant was issued in Virginia.
See, Rose McGowan apparently behind a bag on a plane.
(Never do that, folks — you might lose it, and someone might also assume that it’s a bomb and start a panic)
Allegedly, tests showed that there were traces of an illicit substance — cocaine — on the bag.
We’re talking about traces, here, so aside from the fact that every adult has the natural right to put whatever they want to in their bodies, this sounds like pretty thin evidence.
Also, “trace evidence” of drugs is notorious for producing false positives. Most people just don’t have the resources to fight a charge and they cop a plea.
The warrant for her arrest was obtained on February 1st, but apparently nobody bothered to tell Rose McGowan until late October.
Maybe they saw her name in the news and somebody got excited at the idea of arresting a celebrity. But some, Rose included, have wondered if there might have been something more serious at work.
“Are they trying to silence me? There is a warrant out for my arrest in Virginia,” Rose tweeted. “What a load of HORSES–T!”
But, as ridiculous as the whole situation sounds, Rose McGowan traveled to Virginia and turned herself in.
She was booked, briefly, before being released on $ 5,000 bond.
This is Rose McGowan’s first arrest. She has a reputation for “making trouble,” but that’s only because she calls out people and has zero chill about it.
Is this suddenly revived warrant revenge or an attempt to silence her and others? If so, it’s not working. Women are still coming forward every day.
But with the timing of everything, we can understand why Rose and many of her fans would have their suspicions.
The whole scenario is very weird.
