Lift Our Voices

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Lift Our Voices is an American nonprofit organization led by journalist and television host Gretchen Carlson and political consultant Julie Roginsky, who co-founded it in 2019, after their respective experiences of alleged sexual harassment while working at Fox News. [1] Founded after the start of the MeToo movement, its mission is to end legal mechanisms that prevent survivors of Sexual assault, harassment, and other workplace abuse from speaking out publicly, such as Non-disclosure agreement and forced arbitration. [2]

Contents

In 2022, co-founder Carlson played a significant role in working with members of Congress to pass the Ending Forced Arbitration of Sexual Assault and Sexual Harassment Act, [3] which was signed into law by President Joe Biden in March 2022. [4] Five years after the start of the MeToo movement, the law was singled out as one of the legislative changes to prevent workplace harassment. [5]

Founders and background

Lift Our Voices was founded in 2019 by Carlson, Roginsky, and journalist Diana Falzone in the aftermath of lawsuits by both Carlson and Roginsky against Roger Ailes and Fox News. [6] Both suits were settled, and the women were obligated to sign non-disclosure agreements as part of their agreements. [7] After Carlson’s experience, she was named one of Time Magazine's Time 100 list of the most influential people in 2017, with the essay on Carlson written by journalist Katie Couric. [8] In 2019, the film Bombshell told the story of Carlson's experience at Fox, but due to her stringent non-disclosure agreement she was prevented from speaking about her experience with the filmmakers or actress Nicole Kidman, who portrayed Carlson. [9] Her story and Ailes’s removal from Fox News after the allegations was documented in the Showtime miniseries The Loudest Voice, based on journalist Gabriel Sherman's book The Loudest Voice in the Room and with Carlson portrayed by Naomi Watts. [10] Sherman also wrote about Carlson's experience in New York Magazine. [11]

Roginsky, a Democratic political consultant who was a contributor at Fox, said that she had difficulties finding other opportunities as a contributor or television host after her lawsuit against Fox News, with an agent telling her that she did not want to be associated with someone who had sued a network. [12] Roginsky alleged experiencing a toxic workplace environment while consulting for New Jersey Democratic gubernatorial candidate Phil Murphy in 2017. [13]

Mission and work

In founding the nonprofit organization, Carlson and Roginsky stated their goal was to work with both business and government leaders in order to remove NDAs and similar legal agreements from workplaces in instances of assault, harassment and discrimination. [14] [15] They remain subjected to NDAs preventing them from speaking publicly about their experiences and have committed to eradicating NDAs for issues of workplace abuse. [16] [17] [18]

In July 2021, Carlson joined U.S. Senators Kirsten Gillibrand and Lindsey Graham, and Rep. Cheri Bustos, when the lawmakers introduced the bipartisan federal Ending Forced Arbitration of Sexual Assault and Sexual Harassment Act of 2021. [19] [20] The bill was proposed in order to end mandatory arbitration of such claims in the workplace from being required in employment contracts. [21] It was passed in Congress with bipartisan support [22] on February 10, 2022, with Carlson present on Capitol Hill. [23] [24] On March 3, 2022, it was signed into law by President Joe Biden with Carlson as the guest of honor and Roginsky in attendance. Lift Our Voices' co-founders Roginsky and Carlson in an interview with the National Press Club have called the bill a “model” for addressing workplace abuse allegations. [25] The organization's effort was credited with helping Congress dismantle some of the "workplace roadblocks" that helped bring about the MeToo movement. In February 2023, Lift Our Voices launched Know Your Rights, an initiative aimed at providing resources and information for those in the workforce about the law's protections for employees. [26]

In June 2022, Carlson and Roginsky joined Representatives Lois Frankel, Cheri Bustos, and Ken Buck, who as co-sponsors introduced the bipartisan federal Speak Out Act in House of Representatives, which would prohibit NDAs from being required as part of employment contracts to prevent employees from openly sharing allegations of sexual assault or harassment in the workplace; its lead Senate co-sponsors include Senators Gillibrand, Graham, Marsha Blackburn and Mazie Hirono. [27] [28] Lift Our Voices was called a "pro-worker policy group " that earlier in 2022 "ushered a similar bill into law, nullifying mandatory arbitration provisions for workers alleging #MeToo claims" and noting bipartisan support of both efforts in both chambers of Congress. [29] If passed, Lift Our Voices intends to work to promote awareness for employees so that they understand their right to speak out about sexual misconduct in their workplaces, and its founders have stated that they intend to continue to advocate for changes to the law and corporate policies until "arbitration and NDAs are eliminated for all toxic workplace issues." [30] The bill was signed into law by President Biden on December 7, 2022. [31]

Related Research Articles

Arbitration, in the context of the law of the United States, is a form of alternative dispute resolution. Specifically, arbitration is an alternative to litigation through which the parties to a dispute agree to submit their respective evidence and legal arguments to a neutral third party for resolution. In practice arbitration is generally used as a substitute for litigation, particularly when the judicial process is perceived as too slow, expensive or biased. In some contexts, an arbitrator may be described as an umpire.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Non-disclosure agreement</span> Contractual agreement not to disclose specified information

A non-disclosure agreement (NDA), also known as a confidentiality agreement (CA), confidential disclosure agreement (CDA), proprietary information agreement (PIA), or secrecy agreement (SA), is a legal contract or part of a contract between at least two parties that outlines confidential material, knowledge, or information that the parties wish to share with one another for certain purposes, but wish to restrict access to. Doctor–patient confidentiality, attorney–client privilege, priest–penitent privilege and bank–client confidentiality agreements are examples of NDAs, which are often not enshrined in a written contract between the parties.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network</span> American nonprofit anti-sexual assault organization

The Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network (RAINN) is an American nonprofit anti-sexual assault organization, the largest in the United States. RAINN operates the National Sexual Assault Hotline, as well as the Department of Defense Safe Helpline, and carries out programs to prevent sexual assault, help survivors, and ensure that perpetrators are brought to justice through victim services, public education, public policy, and consulting services.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roger Ailes</span> American TV executive and consultant (1940–2017)

Roger Eugene Ailes was an American television executive and media consultant. He was the chairman and CEO of Fox News, Fox Television Stations and 20th Television. Ailes was a media consultant for US Republican presidents Richard Nixon, Ronald Reagan, and George H. W. Bush, and for Rudy Giuliani's 1989 New York City mayoral election. In July 2016, he was forced out of Fox News after sexually harassing many female Fox employees, including on-air hosts Gretchen Carlson, Megyn Kelly, and Andrea Tantaros.

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Gretchen Elizabeth Carlson is an American broadcast journalist, writer, and television personality.

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Julie Roginsky is an American Democratic Party strategist, television personality and the founder of the non-profit Lift Our Voices, who has been credited with passing landmark federal civil rights legislation in the wake of the meToo movement. She was a contributor with the Fox News Channel where she was a frequent co-host on Outnumbered, and The Five. Prior to working at Fox News, she was a contributor at CNBC. Her columns have appeared in FoxNews.com, CNBC.com, Politico, Forbes, Ms. Magazine, and the Star-Ledger.

Sexual harassment in the workplace in US labor law has been considered a form of discrimination on the basis of sex in the United States since the mid-1970s. There are two forms of sexual harassment recognized by United States law: quid pro quo sexual harassment and behavior that creates a hostile work environment. It has been noted that a number of the early sexual harassment cases were brought by African American women and girls.

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The Indian#MeToo movement began in late 2018 to manifest in areas of the Indian society including the government, the media, and the Bollywood film industry. In India, the Me Too movement is seen as either an independent outgrowth influenced by the international campaign against sexual harassment of women in the workplace, or an offshoot of the American "Me Too" social movement. Me Too began gaining prominence in India with the increasing popularity of the international movement, and later gathered sharp momentum in October 2018 in the entertainment industry of Bollywood, centered in Mumbai, when actress Tanushree Dutta accused Nana Patekar of sexual harassment. This led to many women in the news media, Indian films, and even within the government to speak out and bring allegations of sexual harassment against a number of perpetrators.

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References

  1. ↑ Jong-Fast, Molly (2020-02-13). "Why Gretchen Carlson Can't Tell You the Full Truth About Fox News". The Daily Beast. Retrieved 2022-10-17.
  2. ↑ "About". Lift Our Voices. Retrieved 2022-10-09.
  3. ↑ "Bombshell: Congress sends Biden bill to end forced arbitration in harassment cases". Roll Call. 2022-02-10. Retrieved 2022-10-09.
  4. ↑ House, The White (2022-03-03). "Remarks by President Biden at Signing of H.R. 4445, "Ending Forced Arbitration of Sexual Assault and Sexual Harassment Act of 2021"". The White House. Retrieved 2022-10-09.
  5. ↑ Kokalitcheva, Felix Salmon,Kia (2022-10-08). "#MeToo movement: Here's what changed for American women". Axios. Retrieved 2022-10-09.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  6. ↑ Keegan, Rebecca (2019-12-10). "Fox News Alums Gretchen Carlson, Julie Roginsky Launch Anti-NDA Initiative (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2022-10-17.
  7. ↑ "Former Fox News hosts demand to be released from non-disclosure agreements". www.cbsnews.com. 30 October 2019. Retrieved 2022-10-17.
  8. ↑ "Gretchen Carlson: The World's 100 Most Influential People". Time. Retrieved 2022-10-17.
  9. ↑ York, Associated Press in New (2019-11-02). "Gretchen Carlson wants release from Fox News non-disclosure agreement". the Guardian. Retrieved 2022-10-17.
  10. ↑ "Naomi Watts Speaks to Gretchen Carlson What About The Loudest Voice". Peoplemag. Retrieved 2022-10-17.
  11. ↑ "How Fox News Women Took Down Roger Ailes". Intelligencer. 2016-09-02. Retrieved 2022-10-17.
  12. ↑ Keegan, Rebecca (2019-12-10). "Fox News Whistleblowers, Struggling for Work, Claim Widespread TV Industry Retaliation: "No One Was Hiring Me"". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2022-10-17.
  13. ↑ "Former strategist says she complained to Murphy of 'toxic' environment". POLITICO. Retrieved 2022-10-17.
  14. ↑ "Ex Fox News Hosts Who Called Out Sexual Harassment Begin 'Lift Our Voices'". Newsweek. 2019-12-10. Retrieved 2022-10-17.
  15. ↑ "How Gretchen Carlson Is Fighting Sexual Harassment". Time. 21 October 2016. Retrieved 2022-10-17.
  16. ↑ Jong-Fast, Molly (2020-02-13). "Why Gretchen Carlson Can't Tell You the Full Truth About Fox News". The Daily Beast. Retrieved 2022-10-17.
  17. ↑ Keegan, Rebecca (2019-12-10). "Fox News Alums Gretchen Carlson, Julie Roginsky Launch Anti-NDA Initiative (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2022-10-17.
  18. ↑ Elsesser, Kim. "Five Years After #MeToo, NDAs Are Still Silencing Victims". Forbes. Retrieved 2022-10-17.
  19. ↑ LeVine, Marianne (December 2021). "Congress closes in on sexual misconduct reform, 4 years after its #MeToo moment". POLITICO. Retrieved 2022-10-17.
  20. ↑ "S. 4445, Ending Forced Arbitration of Sexual Assault and Sexual Harassment Act of 2021". July 2021.
  21. ↑ "After the Fox News Sexual Harassment Scandal, Gretchen Carlson Is on a Powerful New Mission". Katie Couric Media. 2021-09-14. Retrieved 2022-10-17.
  22. ↑ Falzone, Diana (2022-02-11). "Landmark #MeToo Bill Makes Its Way to President Biden". The Daily Beast. Retrieved 2022-10-17.
  23. ↑ Lutz, Eric (February 10, 2022). "One of the biggest workplace reforms in history:: passage of bipartisan bill is major victory for the MeToo movement". Vanity Fair .
  24. ↑ "Senate passes bill to end forced arbitration in sexual assault, harassment cases". Washington Post. ISSN   0190-8286 . Retrieved 2022-10-17.
  25. ↑ "National Press Club Newsmaker: Gretchen Carlson, Julie Roginsky discuss new landmark MeToo bill".
  26. ↑ "Know Your Rights Campaign". Lift Our Voices. Retrieved 2023-02-24.
  27. ↑ "Reps. Frankel, Buck Introduce Bipartisan Legislation to Empower Employees, Consumers to Speak Out Against Sexual Harassment". Congresswoman Lois Frankel | Florida's 21st District. 2022-06-29. Retrieved 2022-10-17.
  28. ↑ "S. 4524, Speak Out Act".
  29. ↑ "Gretchen Carlson Takes on Nondisclosure Pacts, With GOP Backing". news.bloomberglaw.com. Retrieved 2022-10-17.
  30. ↑ Elsesser, Kim. "Senate Aims To End Silencing Of Sexual Harassment Victims With New NDA Bill". Forbes. Retrieved 2022-10-17.
  31. ↑ "The New Speak Out Act Voids Predispute Nondisclosure and Nondisparagement Provisions". The National Law Review. Retrieved 2023-02-24.
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