Harvey Weinstein’s overturned sex crimes conviction inspires his accuser Rose McGowan to speak out: ‘They cannot take away who we are’

Rose McGowan is speaking out after her alleged abuser Harvey Weinstein’s sex crimes convictions were overturned.

The 50-year-old actress shared a video post on Instagram on Thursday in which she offered words of encouragement to Weinstein’s other accusers and fellow rape survivors.

“They will never overthrow who we are,” she captioned the clip, which was filmed against a backdrop of greenery. “Blessings to all who gave all #spirit #courage #unity.”

Weinstein’s 2020 conviction in New York was overturned by the New York Court of Appeals on Thursday, after a slim majority of judges ruled that the disgraced film producer had not received a fair trial.

Despite the ruling, the 72-year-old former mogul is not a free man, as he will remain in prison after being convicted in Los Angeles in a separate rape case, although Weinstein is also appealing that ruling.

The New York Court of Appeals – the highest in the state – ruled four to three on Thursday that Weinstein did not receive a fair trial; pictured in October 2022 in LA

‘I’m proud of how far we’ve come. How much we have woken up. What we know about ourselves to be true. And what we know from others is true,” McGowan said confidently. “No matter what they overthrow, they cannot take away who we are, what we are, what we have experienced and what we can achieve in this life.”

The Doom Generation star offered words of encouragement to other survivors who may have been discouraged by Weinstein’s legal victory.

‘We are not victims. We are people who have been wounded by evil,” she stated. ‘Evil sticks together as we see… but we are better.

‘To everyone who fights the good fight. You are light. You are beautiful. You Matter. I’m with you,” McGowan continued. ‘Some days we get knocked on our ass more than others. But we will rise. We can find the little joys no matter what.”

She reminded her fans and followers not to be ashamed of pausing to “shed those tears,” but urged them to keep fighting for justice.

‘You are brave, you are beautiful, you are strong. We know the truth. We know what we are and what they are,” she added, calling her viewers “amazing” and saying she was “proud” of them.

McGowan ended the short speech on a tired but optimistic note.

‘Tomorrow we will get up. Get up, dust ourselves off and look for every little ounce of joy and beauty we can. Lots of love,” she concluded.

‘We are not victims. We are people who have been wounded by evil,” she stated. “Evil sticks together as we see… but we are better,” McGowan told her followers

She urged other survivors to stay strong: “Some days we get knocked on our butts more than others. But we will rise. We can find the little joys no matter what’; seen in 2019 in London

In 2017, the New York Times reported that Weinstein paid McGowan $100,000 for an alleged 1997 incident, although he admitted no guilt; in the photo in 2015

Later that year, McGowan publicly accused Weinstein of raping her in 1997, which he denied; pictured in 2020 in NYC

McGowan’s history of alleged abuse by Weinstein came to light in 2017, as the Me Too movement began to spread across the US, especially in the entertainment industry.

According to the New York Times, the Planet Terror star was one of at least eight women that Weinstein had paid off over the years, and was said to have received a $100,000 settlement, for which the film producer has admitted no wrongdoing.

She had previously claimed in 2016 that she had been raped by a studio head years earlier, but did not reveal her name at the time.

Shortly after the settlement was reported, McGowan took to social media to urge women to “fight on” while encouraging men to join the fight as “allies.”

However, she did not directly address the Times’ reporting or confirm that she had received a settlement.

After the initial report, Weinstein denied “many” of the allegations.

Later in 2017, McGowan publicly alleged that Weinstein raped her, and she accused Amazon of canceling a planned series after she reported the years-long alleged incident.

Weinstein was convicted in New York in February 2020 of one count of first-degree criminal sexual assault and one count of third-degree rape, and was subsequently sentenced to 23 years in prison.

Weinstein was later convicted of sex crimes in LA in 2022 and sentenced to 16 years, which he had to serve after his New York sentencing ended. He is also appealing against that verdict; seen in 2017

Weinstein faced a second trial in Los Angeles and was convicted in December 2022 of rape, forcible oral copulation and third-degree sexual misconduct. He was sentenced to 16 years in prison for these crimes, to be served consecutively.

But on Thursday, the New York Court of Appeals, the highest court in the state, overturned Weinstein’s previous convictions. Four of the seven judges ruled that the judge erred by allowing other accusers to share their claims in court, despite Weinstein not being charged for those alleged incidents.

According to the naked majority, allowing the other women to testify could have biased the jury against the film producer.

However, he remains imprisoned for his conviction on the West Coast, although Weinstein’s lawyers are also trying to have it overturned.