Meryl Streep, Emma Watson to bring activists as Golden Globe guests
Actresses including Meryl Streep, Michelle Williams, Emma Watson and Amy Poehler plan to bring gender and racial justice activists as their guests to the Golden Globe Awards.
Streep will walk the red carpet with Ai-jen Poo, the director of the National Domestic Workers Alliance, Williams with Tarana Burke, the founder of the "me too" movement and Watson will bring Marai Larasi, the executive director of Imkaan, a Black-feminist organisation.
Other actresses to bring guests include Shailene Woodley, Laura Dern and Susan Sarandon.
Nominee Emma Stone is also taking tennis champ and advocate Billie Jean King, who the actress portrayed in the film Battle of the Sexes.
In a statement, the advocates say they were inspired by the Time's Up initiative, which launched with the backing of hundreds of Hollywood women like Streep, Reese Witherspoon and Shonda Rhimes.
The initiative vowed support for women in the entertainment business and beyond, from cleaners to health care workers.
"Each of us will be highlighting legislative, community-level and interpersonal solutions that contribute to ending violence against women in all our communities," the advocates' statement said.
"It is our hope that in doing so, we will also help to broaden conversations about the connection to power, privilege and other systemic inequalities."
The statement says that women of colour should be at the centre of the solutions.
"We want to encourage all women - from those who live in the shadows to those who live in the spotlight, from all walks of life, and across generations - to continue to step forward and know that they will be supported when they do," the statement continued.
Many attending the Golden Globes will also be wearing black to protest sexual harassment.
Actor Mark Ruffalo tweeted Sunday that he would also be wearing black "in solidarity with the men and women asking for respect and equality".
He encouraged others to tweet themselves wearing black with the hashtag #TimesUp.