Actress Alyssa Milano is leading a campaign for film production companies to boycott Georgia over the state's new abortion law -- and has called for a sex strike as well (AFP Photo/Rich Fury) |
Los Angeles (AFP) - The recent love affair between Hollywood producers and the US state of Georgia, with its low taxes and affordable lifestyle, is suddenly in jeopardy.
Strict new
abortion laws passed in the southern state have prompted calls not only for a
boycott of filming there -- but for a sex strike.
A coterie
of film stars led by actress-activist Alyssa Milano, including Alec Baldwin,
Don Cheadle, Ben Stiller, Mia Farrow and Amy Schumer, had threatened in March
to refuse to work in Georgia if it adopted the new abortion restrictions.
But the
state's Republican governor, Brian Kemp, signed the bill into law last week.
Several
independent film and television production companies have since pledged to
boycott the state unless the legislation -- which bans abortion as soon as a
fetal heartbeat can be detected, generally in the sixth week of pregnancy -- is
rescinded.
"Killer
Films will no longer consider Georgia as a viable shooting location until this
ridiculous law is overturned," the company's CEO Christine Vachon wrote on
Twitter.
Milano --
the onetime star of "Charmed" and "Who's the Boss?" -- had
said she would fight "tooth and nail" for her Netflix series
"Insatiable" to stop filming in Georgia.
Singer and
actress Bette Midler has voiced support for Alyssa Milano's call for a
sex
strike over the Georgia abortion law (AFP Photo/Angela Weiss)
|
But then
she took it one step farther, urging women to join her in a sex boycott until
the law was repealed.
"JOIN
ME by not having sex until we get bodily autonomy back," she wrote on
Twitter.
"Protect
your vaginas, ladies. Men in positions of power are trying to legislate them.
#SexStrike"
Somewhat
inevitably, the call by Milano -- whose profile has risen as the #MeToo
movement has taken hold -- has sparked controversy.
'Surprisingly effective'
Though her
idea earned praise on social media, including from actress Bette Midler, and
#Sexstrike trended on Twitter for a while, the idea also earned scorn -- from
both sides of the political spectrum.
Liberals
accused the actress of pushing the idea that women have sex to make men happy,
which she denied, while conservatives mercilessly trolled her.
Milano did
not waver, even noting: "History shows that a #sexstrike is surprisingly
effective."
Georgia's
Republican governor Brian Kemp defiantly signed a new abortion law
that has
angered some film companies and actors (AFP Photo/Kevin C. Cox)
|
Sex strikes
-- usually in the cause of peace or an end to sexual mistreatment -- have been
carried out in countries from Colombia to Kenya to the Philippines, with
varying success.
Perhaps the
earliest reference came from "Lysistrata," Aristophanes' comedy about
women in ancient Greece withholding sex to pressure their men to end the
Peloponnesian War.
The women
prevailed.
What's at
stake
Georgia
offers filmmakers a number of enticements: a far lower cost of living than in
Los Angeles, a variety of landscapes and tax credits of up to 30 percent.
Blockbuster
movies like Marvel's "Black Panther" and "Avengers: Infinity
War" were filmed in the state; television series including "Stranger
Things" and "The Walking Dead" have been shot there.
Last year,
more than 450 productions were set in Georgia, where they spent the
non-negligible sum of $2.7 billion.
Kemp has
stood firm, saying before he signed the legislation into law: "We protect
the innocent, we champion the vulnerable, we stand up and speak for those
unable to speak for themselves."
The new
restrictions could mark a tipping point.
Several independent film and television production companies have pledged to boycott Georgia state unless the legislation is rescinded (AFP Photo/ALEX WONG) |
The Writers
Guild of America, representing screenwriters, said the law would make Georgia
"an inhospitable place" for industry people to work.
But the
major studios -- with huge financial stakes at issue -- have remained largely
quiet.
Chris
Ortman, a spokesman for the Motion Picture Association of America -- which
represents Hollywood heavyweights including Paramount, Sony, Universal, Disney,
Warner Bros. and Netflix -- said the group would "monitor
developments" and wait for the courts to decide.
The film
industry, he added, supports 92,000 jobs in Georgia -- a fact that did not go
unnoticed by some lawmakers who are worried about employment.
"I
appreciate the calls to action... but please do not #boycottgeorgia,"
tweeted Stacey Abrams, a Democrat who nearly defeated Kemp in November's
election.
"The
hard-working Georgians who serve on crews & make a living here are not to
blame. I promise: We will fight - and we will win."
With a nod
to Abrams' plea, directors Jordan Peele and J.J. Abrams told The Hollywood
Reporter that they will proceed with filming their new show "Lovecraft
Country" in the state -- but they will donate their "episodic fees"
to groups fighting the abortion law.
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