The Hollywood Foreign Press Agency’s (HFPA) efforts of inclusivity were deemed insufficient by the Time’s Up Foundation. Members of the Hollywood Foreign Press Agency put forward their newest plans for inclusivity through a controversial vote to increase inclusivity. However, for many in the Hollywood circle, this is far from enough.
Over one hundred different Public Relations Firms sent individual letters expressing their dissatisfaction with the Hollywood Foreign Press Agency. These complaints and efforts for more proactive change were made alongside the Times Up movement. Tina Tchen, the CEO and president of the Time’s Up movement put out a statement. It expressed the organization’s disappointment in this subpar motion.
“May 6 was the day the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA) said the Golden Globes would detail its commitment to transformational change and would finally uproot the systemic and longstanding racism, misogyny, and corruption widely reported as endemic to the HFPA and the Golden Globe Awards”, Tchen explained. “Sadly, the list of ‘reforms’ adopted yesterday, and endorsed by NBCUniversal and Dick Clark Productions, are sorely lacking and hardly transformational. Instead, these measures ensure that the current membership of the HFPA will remain in the majority and that the next Golden Globe Awards will be decided with the same fundamental problems that have existed for years.”
“The HFPA’s list of recommendations largely contains no specifics, no commitments to real accountability or change, and no real timeline to implement these changes. The HFPA’s proposed September 1 deadline for some — but not all — reforms comes well after the next award cycle will have started. And even its proposal to increase membership by fifty percent comes with no commitments that the decisions to admit new members will be made in an equitable and inclusive manner with full transparency and oversight.”
Seventy-five members out of the 86 voted in favor of this motion. Those who did not vote yes include absentee votes and some who were simply absent. This vote will condone the Hollywood Foreign Press Agency to hire new positions. These include a Chief Executive Officer, a Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer, and additional executives within the administration.
A hotline will also be introduced intended for members to report violations of conduct. At the time of voting, there’s were zero black members of the Agency, which is inexcusable in 2021. The vote intends to start recruiting at least twenty new members immediately. They plan on increasing membership numbers by at least fifty percent by 2023.
