Two Golden Globe Voters Allege ‘Toxic Environment,’ Quit Amid Diversity Scandal: Internal Opposition Has Been ‘Stifled’

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Two members of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA) resigned on Thursday — alleging a “toxic environment,” and claiming that, “Internal opposition to the status quo has been stifled.”

Diederik van Hoogstraten, a member from the Netherlands, and Wenting Xu of China aired their grievances in a letter to the association, the group that votes on the Golden Globe Awards.

“Insulation, silence, fear of retribution, self-dealing, corruption and verbal abuse are just a few ways to describe the current culture,” they wrote in the letter, which was first obtained by the Los Angeles Times, adding, “The HFPA continues to accommodate a toxic environment that undermines professional journalism. The bullying of members by fellow members is left unquestioned and unpunished.”

They alleged that “the majority of the membership resists deep change,” referencing the ongoing push to diversify the association without using “window-dressing platitudes,” as the LA Times revealed this year that there are zero Black members of the HFPA.

“Many members continue to believe we are victims, an attitude that guarantees no self-reflection or change will occur,” they wrote, listing reasons for their resignations. “The election system enables power-driven candidates to gather majority votes by promising internal jobs to other members.”

The letter also comes after NBC announced that the network will not air the award show in 2022 amid calls to boycott the HFPA due to the diversity controversy.

“We believe in a welcoming, healthy, respectful place where working international journalists in Los Angeles can develop and thrive. That place is not the HFPA,” concluded Van Hoogstraten and Xu. “After we leave we plan to build a transparent, professional and inclusive organization for the current and next generations of reporters who simply want to work together, without the toxicity.”