‘Seeing Allred’— A Lifelong Battle for Women’s Rights

By CHRISTIAN MONTERROSA | Reporter

It took two years for filmmakers Roberta Grossman and Sophie Sartain to convince Palisadian Attorney Gloria Rachel Allred to allow them to make “Seeing Allred,” a Netflix documentary about her life as a powerful attorney and accomplished feminist.

For years, journalists have asked personal questions, trying to paint a more intimate picture of who Allred is outside of the courtroom. Her Wikipedia page only has one sentence under “Personal Life.”

When she finally allowed the cameras to follow her, it was no surprise that most of what she does is work, making the necessary sacrifice to be a leader in the fight for equal rights and fair treatment of women.

“I realized that I had to sacrifice some privacy,” Allred said in an exclusive interview with the Palisadian-Post as she sat at her now-famous conference room table. “As I’ve said, more than I wanted, less than they asked for.

“But it was fine because people need to know why I’m motivated, why I’m so committed to this struggle and battle for women’s rights and for minority rights. So I think they were able to capture that.”

When asked why the film didn’t show much outside of her professional life, Allred gave her signature smile and said, “You don’t have to assess me apart from my work, it’s just who I am.”

Aside from the occasional spot dinner at Taj Palace and Modo Mio—she’s not a breakfast person—Allred does little else from work.

Grossman and Sartain began filming prior to some of the biggest names in Hollywood and Washington being exposed of their grotesque crimes against women.

“We agreed to do [the documentary] and that was even before the Bill Cosby story broke, even before Weinstein, before the Trump accusers, before the #MeToo movement,” Allred said. “It was amazing the way it all worked out and they were able to capture all of that in the film.”

Allred currently represents 33 of the 60 victims who spoke out against Cosby, so by the time the #MeToo and #TimesUp movements came into play, Allred’s boots were already strapped from handling crimes against women and minorities since the ’70s.

In 1987, Allred helped Paul Jasperson sue a West Hollywood nail salon for refusing to touch him because he was an AIDS victim. That same year, she won a case against Worthington Reunion Photographers after they refused to publish the photos of a gay couple, Allred’s clients.

In 2012, when Miss Universe Canada disqualified a contestant for being transgender, Allred helped Jenna Talackova take on the organization, owned by Donald Trump, demanding she be allowed to compete.

Miss Universe reversed their decision even before facing the legal wrath of Allred in a court.

On the subject of the now president of the United States, Allred sat alongside Summer Zervos as she publicly accused Trump of kissing her and touching her inappropriately without consent just weeks before the 2016 election—a story that matched how then-candidate Trump described he approached women in the infamous “Access Hollywood” tape that had been released shortly before.

Since then, Allred has also taken on Jessica Drake as a client, another one of 16 women who have accused President Trump of sexual misconduct.

Drake and Allred have recently made headlines as Drake is said to be a third party on an alleged “hush agreement” between President Trump’s lawyer and porn actress Stephanie Clifford, also known as Stormy Daniels.

While allegations of sexual misconduct have reached places as high as the White House, Allred said the public list of names is just the tip of the iceberg.

“I have many confidential settlements with other rich powerful famous men who have hurt my clients. But they’re confidential so I can never say who they are,” said Allred, who can never discuss who her clients were, where or when the settlements took place, or who the accused are.

“Some of these names are names that would be known all over the world. But my clients have indicated that they want their privacy, or that they will accept the fact that this is a confidential settlement because they want to be able to move on with their life.”

Allred also touched on an ongoing debate regarding the coexistence of feminism and conservatism, pointing out that there is little wiggle room in the feminist movement.

“We need to support choice,” she said. “They call themselves the pro-life movement but I would prefer to call them the ‘mandatory motherhood’ movement … For feminists to say, ‘Well, I support this issue but not this one’ is so problematic because this one is so central to so much in a woman’s life … I’d rather not have women say, ‘I support equal rights for women’ and then add a ‘but,’ I’d like there to be a period at the end of the sentence.”

With so much work still left to do, Allred has looked toward the future, inspiring her daughter and granddaughter, who used to live with her in the Palisades, to pursue careers in the law.

Her daughter, Lisa Bloom, has followed closely in her footsteps, representing victims of sexual misconduct, including the victims of Fox News host Bill O’Reilly. Bloom also went to bat for Kathy Griffin after the comedian was fired for publishing a picture of her holding a fake head that resembled President Trump.

There was semi-misogynist tabloid-bait prospect of Allred facing off against her daughter who was representing Weinstein. But then Lisa Bloom said she saw how deep the revelations were and walked away. TMZ mourned.

Allred knew her family had “the temperament and the brains and the commitment that they would be very good lawyers, and that they would be happy being lawyers and they would make a contribution to the community.”

She believes women don’t have to be lawyers to make change in a society where women are shamed for speaking out against their abusers, or are paid significantly less than their male coworkers.

When asked about the future of her career, Allred admitted to having thought about switching to politics and running for office, but ultimately decided against it, feeling she can make more change in the courts than on the hill.

Allred said she believes there is not enough enforcement of laws that call for equal employment and equal educational opportunities, and would rather keep up the fight to enforce them in a court of law.

As long as her good health continues, she will continue to help empower women, she will continue to create an equal playing field for people who otherwise would not stand a chance against the rich and the powerful.

“Every woman can do what Rosa Parks did, which shows us you don’t have to be rich or famous or well known in order to make ‘her story’ and win change.”

But it does help to have an Allred on your side.