Imagine having a dream. Imagine working day and night tirelessly towards this concept of success that you have envisioned since you first learned of its existence. Imagine achieving this dream. Imagine holding it in your hand, and being proud of it.

Then imagine someone you look up to threaten to rip that away. This thing that you have worked towards could be potentially stolen if you do not comply with their requests.

This is the world we live in. A world where people can get away with using their prestige and past accomplishments to blackmail anyone below them into uncomfortable situations with the threat of killing their career looming over the victim. This blatant disrespect and abuse of power only creates the notion that this behavior is acceptable.

The reality of sexual assault is that we live in a world in which victims do not feel safe seeking help after their attacks. We ask them twisted questions and steer the blame in their direction which chases them back into the shadows which in turn discourages future victims from reporting.

This concern does not lie with the person who has just been violated and used, but with the attacker. How are we going to begin to solve this problem if we cannot even take it upon ourselves to point the finger at the right person? It is not about what they were wearing or how they were acting. It is about the nonconsensual behavior that follows.

By allowing these abusive figures to maintain their status and gain power, we send the message that sexual harassment and assault is okay. It is not okay under any circumstances. Now is the time to take action and set the standards for future generation. Now is the time to come down hard on these criminals.

Recently Kevin Spacey tried to use alcohol and his sexuality to cover up sexual assautling Anthony Rapp who was only 14 at the time of the alleged assault. Since Rapp’s story, more people have gone on the record that they too have been abused by Spacey. The allegations span from the mid 80s to just last year. He has recently been dropped by both his publicist and his agent. Netflix has publically declared its intentions to sever ties with the accused actor and on top of this, director Ridley Scott has announced a plan to cut Spacey out of the film All the Money in the World and reshoot all his scenes with Spacey’s new replacement, Christopher Plummer.

No means no. That is a statement that no one gets to ignore. That is a statement that no paycheck should be exempt from. That is a statement that is supposed to have meaning, and now is the time to make that happen.