Intimacy coordinators vote to unionize under SAG-AFTRA

Intimacy coordinators have unanimously elected to unionize under the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists.

Members of the bargaining unit voted 100% in favor of unionization in an official election overseen by the National Labor Relations board, the union announced Tuesday.

Intimacy coordinators are the professionals who help actors navigate scenes involving nudity, simulated sex and other sensitive scenarios on set.

“In these sobering times with looming threats to environmental protections and women’s equality, it is refreshing to see the entertainment industry’s recognition of intimacy coordinators and their important contribution to productions and to performers in intimate scenes,” SAG-AFTRA President Fran Drescher said in a statement.

“We at SAG-AFTRA are proud to include this esteemed group of trained professionals as the newest to join our member body. May this continue to carve the path of elevated consideration for the feelings of safety for people and planet.”

SAG-AFTRA formally requested a union election for intimacy coordinators in September, about four years after the labor organization established rules regarding the presence of intimacy coordinators on set. On the heels of the #MeToo movement, the guidelines were introduced as part of a larger effort to reduce sexual misconduct in the entertainment industry.

The use of intimacy coordinators has generated significant media attention and become increasingly commonplace in the film and TV business over the past several years.

“Working in scenes involving nudity or physical intimacy is some of the most vulnerable work an actor can do,” Drescher said in a statement in September.

“Intimacy coordinators not only provide assistance in navigating these scenes but they also create a safety net for performers ensuring consent and protection throughout the entire process. Shifting the power imbalance that has been ingrained over a century is challenging but important work. Work that can be done even more effectively with the backing of a union.”