Progressive Organizations Pledge Not to Work With Sexual Abuser Trevor FitzGibbon in New Sign-On Letter
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Monday, May 22, 2017
CONTACT: Brett Abrams | brett@unbendablemedia.com | (516) 841-1105
Progressive Organizations Pledge Not to Work With Sexual Abuser Trevor FitzGibbon in New Sign-On Letter
UltraViolet, CREDO, Sierra Club, NARAL & Others Denounce FitzGibbon’s New Firm, Call for Accountability Across the Progressive Movement
View the letter here: https://s3.amazonaws.com/s3.weareultraviolet.com/images/FitzgibbonLetter.pdf
Today, 72 progressive organizations, including UltraViolet, CREDO, Sierra Club, and NARAL Pro-Choice America, released a letter directed at Trevor FitzGibbon, former President of FitzGibbon Media and sexual abuser, pledging not to financially support his new firm, Mission Critical Media, which launched Monday evening with a post on the website Shadowproof.
“While the criminal allegations against me were false, I understand why women may feel the need to take things to that level considering the harassment and abuse women endure on a daily basis and often go unheard,” Fitzgibbon said in the article.
In the letter, the organizations point to Fitzgibbon’s new firm as a “cynical attempt to erase the damage you did to your employees and the progressive movement,” pledging never to work with Fitzgibbon or any individuals who have a history of sexual abuse or who retaliate against survivors for coming forward.
READ THE FULL LETTER HERE: https://s3.amazonaws.com/s3.weareultraviolet.com/images/FitzgibbonLetter.pdf
“It’s truly repulsive that Trevor Fitzgibbon is willing to use his record of sexual abuse to market himself as a champion for women,” said Shaunna Thomas, Co-founder of UltraViolet. “The fact that he was able to start another company at all is a dangerous, brazen display of rape culture, not to mention a pathetic attempt at rebranding. Trevor’s half-baked comments about learning a lesson are a slap in the face to his former employees, clients, and women everywhere. ”
“Anyone who is willing to discredit and shame sexual assault survivors in an attempt to minimize their own misconduct is not a progressive, regardless of how they label themselves,” added Thomas. “And while it will take immense amounts of time and energy to rid the progressive community of people like Trevor, our organizations refuse to sit back and watch a serial abuser continue to blatantly manipulate, sexually harass, and assault women — period.”
Last week, the former staff members from FitzGibbon Media posted a statement on Medium, which read in part: “We have not forgotten the treatment we faced because of Trevor FitzGibbon’s blatant disregard for our lives, our work and our families. We were left without jobs and without healthcare. Some of us are still rebuilding our lives and our careers. HR processes and systems at the firm failed us. The justice system failed us, as it too often fails survivors of sexual harassment and assault. We hope anyone with a dedication to supporting survivors will see through this hollow effort.”
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