Tag: #Metoo
Duffy, The Singer Of The 2008 Hit “Mercy,” Said She Was Raped, Drugged, And Held Captive For Days
Duffy, who took a hiatus from music in 2011, wrote on Instagram that she would soon be releasing an interview about the incident and how it had stalled her career.
Duffy, the Welsh singer known for her 2008 hit “Mercy,” spoke out Tuesday for the first time in years to tell fans her silence came after being raped, drugged, and held captive for days.
“Many of you wonder what happened to me, where did I disappear to and why,” Duffy wrote. “The truth is, and please trust me I am ok and safe now, I was raped and drugged and held captive over some days.”
Duffy, whose full name is Aimee Duffy, took a hiatus from the music industry in 2011 after her second album, Endlessly, fared poorly on the charts and with sales. In the years since then, she appeared in a few films but did not release another album and hadn’t posted on Instagram since October 2017, according to Wales Online.
Duffy wrote in her Instagram post that it took a long time for her to recover and that she opened up to a journalist last summer. The interview about what happened to her will be posted in the coming weeks, she said.
“You wonder why I did not choose to use my voice to express my pain? I did not want to show the world the sadness in my eyes,” she said in the post. “I asked myself, how can I sing from the heart if it is broken? And slowly it unbroke.”
BuzzFeed News was unable to reach representatives for Duffy on Tuesday.
The singer rose to fame after the release of her debut album, Rockferry, in 2008, which included the single “Mercy.” The album was certified platinum and sold millions of copies worldwide.
In her post Tuesday, Duffy thanked her fans for their support over the years and asked for privacy for her family.
“Please respect this is a gentle move for me to make, for myself, and I do not want any intrusion to my family,” she said. “Please support me to make this a positive experience.”
Article via Buzzfeed
Rose McGowan tells Snoop Dogg to ‘grow the f–k up’ amid Kobe Bryant outrage
Rose McGowan on Sunday called Kobe Bryant a “hero” for apologizing to his sex accuser — but told Snoop Dogg to “grow the f–k up” and stop attacking anyone who raises the late hoop star’s troubled past.
“You want to know why Kobe Bryant is a hero? He apologized to a hurt young woman,” the #MeToo pioneer wrote on Twitter early Sunday, referring to Bryant’s mea culpa to a 19-year-old hotel employee who accused him of rape in 2003.
While praising Bryant, 41, McGowan also sent a message to Snoop Dogg to “stop terrorizing” CBS’ Gayle King following his wild attack on her for bringing up Bryant’s past during an interview.
“Truth hurts. Death hurts. Grow the f–k up. Kobe stopped hurting women, so can you,” McGowan wrote.
The “Charmed” star also mentioned Washington Post reporter Felicia Sonmez — who received death threats and was suspended after linking to stories about Bryant’s case — as one of those unfairly attacked. Oprah Winfrey also claimed that Snoop’s viral interview clip led to King receiving death threats.
McGowan — whose accusations against Harvey Weinstein helped form the #MeToo movement — previously mentioned the “complex” nature of grieving someone with troubling accusations against them.
“Put an * next to a hero’s name if they have sexual assault in their past,” she wrote last week, saying the symbol, “says investigate further.”
“It’s okay to hold space for the dead & their victims simultaneously. It’s complex,” she wrote.
Photo Credit: pagesix.com
#METOO Misfire A honest of Defense Andy Signore
This #Metoo movement has become a real joke.
Cuba Gooding Jr.’s lawyer claims surveillance video shows ‘no criminality’
Article via PageSix
A lawyer for Cuba Gooding Jr. says surveillance video shows the “Jerry Maguire” star is innocent of groping allegations at a Manhattan rooftop bar — and now he’s reconsidering turning himself in to authorities in New York, according to reports.
After saying Gooding plans to surrender to sex-crimes detectives on Thursday, attorney Mark Heller told TMZ that video from Magic Hour Rooftop Bar and Lounge shows “absolutely no criminality taking place on the part of my client.”
Heller said that whether or not his client will turn himself in Thursday — as they previously planned — is now up in the air.
Heller did not return calls for comment early Thursday and the video in question has not been released publicly.
The hard-partying actor and his attorneys planned to meet with cops at Manhattan’s Special Victims Division in Harlem around noon on Thursday, Heller said earlier on Wednesday.
The Oscar winner planned to be formally arrested, fingerprinted and have his mugshot taken, sources said.
“He will be arrested for forcible touching, but the charges will be determined by the ADA,” added one law-enforcement source.
Gooding was accused of groping the 30-year-old woman around 9 p.m. Sunday while drunk at the lounge on Seventh Avenue, the woman claimed. She called 911 around 1 a.m. Monday.
Columbia University Students Kick SNL Comedian Nimesh Patel Off Stage For Making Unsafe Jokes
Event organizers apologize for “the hurt his words caused members of the community.”
Nimesh Patel, a comedian and writer for Saturday Night Live, was yanked from the stage in the midst of his routine at Columbia University on Friday after students decided his material was homophobic, racist, and making them feel unsafe.
Columbia’s Asian American Alliance (AAA) had invited Patel to perform during the group’s annual charity event, “Cultureshock: Reclaim,” a title that sounds a little too exciting and provocative, honestly, given the students’ apparent need for maximum security and comfort.
AAA is run by students, which means it was their decision to pull Patel from the stage after he made jokes that they deemed racist and homophobic, according to The Columbia Daily Spectator. I emailed AAA to ask what exactly Patel said that was so offensive; the group sent me a statement that did not clarify matters.
The Spectator, though, lists one of the allegedly inappropriate jokes:
During the event, Patel’s performance featured commentary on his experience living in a diverse area of New York City—including a joke about a gay, black man in his neighborhood—which AAA officials deemed inappropriate. Patel joked that being gay cannot be a choice because “no one looks in the mirror and thinks, ‘this black thing is too easy, let me just add another thing to it.'”
The joke acknowledges that black people and gay people suffer oppression, and that a person who is both gay and black suffers “stacked” oppression. This joke seems almost perfectly “intersectional.”
Intersectionality, the operarting system of the modern left, requires everyone to recognize that different forms of oppression are interrelated, and that they stack. The problem for Patel, however, is that intersectionality also recognizes the oppressed as the sole experts on their own oppression. Thus Patel should not have commented on matters relating to black people or gay people, since he is neither gay nor black.
“if you’re Black and gay, you don’t need a straight South Asian guy to point out that your life is hard because you’re Black and gay,” wrote a student, Liberty Martin, in an op-ed. Martin accused Patel of “blatant anti-blackness,” with reference to the above joke, specifically. Even though the joke reflects a sentiment that gay and black students want everyone to recognize as reality—that life as a gay, black student is hard—the fact that it was made by an Asian guy means it’s actually evidence of anti-black bias. (It doesn’t have to make sense, you just have to obey.)
Perhaps Patel went on to say actually insensitive things—why the easily offended would attend any comedy show, ever, is fodder for another discussion—but if this joke is representative of his set, the outrage looks that much more ridiculous.
Patel made it 30 minutes before organizers cut off the routine. According to The Spectator:
Patel pushed back on the officials’ remarks, and said that while he stood in solidarity with Asian American identities, none of his remarks were offensive, and he was exposing the audience to ideas that would be found “in the real world.” Before he could finish, Patel’s microphone was cut from off-stage, and he proceeded to leave.
AAA released a statement on Facebook condemning Patel’s remarks, which “ran counter to the inclusive spirit and integrity of CultureSHOCK.” They apologized for inviting Patel, and for “the hurt his words caused members of the community.”
Many students in the audience agreed with AAA’s decision to end the event prematurely. One told the student newspaper that Patel’s jokes “contradicted the sensitive nature of the event.” Another had this to say:
“I really dislike when people who are older say that our generation needs to be exposed to the real world. Obviously the world is not a safe space but just accepting that it’s not and continuing to perpetuate the un-safeness of it… is saying that it can’t be changed,” said Jao. “When older generations say you need to stop being so sensitive, it’s like undermining what our generation is trying to do in accepting others and making it safer.”
When things like this happen, it’s hard to deny that some college campuses have a student fragility problem.
Article via Reason
Neil deGrasse Tyson Denies Sexual Misconduct Allegations
“Accusations can damage a reputation and a marriage. Sometimes irreversibly,” astrophysicist wrote. “I see myself as loving husband and as a public servant”
Neil deGrasse Tyson has denied accusations of sexual misconduct that three women brought forward in late November. “Accusations can damage a reputation and a marriage. Sometimes irreversibly,” the famous astrophysicist wrote in a lengthy Facebook post titled “On Being Accused,” disputing the claims of inappropriate behavior – dating from 1984 to summer 2018 – first reported by spirituality website Patheos. “I see myself as loving husband and as a public servant – a scientist and educator who serves at the will of the public.”
Katelyn N. Allers, an associate professor of physics and astronomy at Pennsylvania’s Bucknell University in Pennsylvania, told Patheos that Tyson engaged in “uncomfortable and creepy” behavior during a 2009 party after a gathering of the American Astronomical Society. Dr. Allers has a tattoo of the solar system on her arm, and she claims Tyson was “obsessed” with whether or not it included Pluto: “He looked for Pluto, and followed the tattoo into my dress,” she told the site.
Tyson, in his note, wrote that it was “never his intent” to make her uncomfortable, emphasizing, “I can surely be more sensitive to people’s personal space, even in the midst of my planetary enthusiasm.” “While I don’t explicitly remember searching for Pluto at the top of her shoulder, it is surely something I would have done in that situation,” he wrote. “As we all know, I have professional history with the demotion of Pluto, which had occurred officially just three years earlier. So whether people include it or not in their tattoos is of great interest to me.”
Tyson, who hosted the Fox/National Geographic science documentary series Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey, also rejected the description of their encounter. “I was reported to have ‘groped’ her by searching ‘up her dress,’ when this was simply a search under the covered part of her shoulder of the sleeveless dress,” he said.
Another accuser, Ashley Watson, told Patheos that she quit her position as Tyson’s production assistant this past summer after he tried to pressure her into sex. She allegedly visited his house, where he offered an “awkward and incredibly intimate handshake” and told her, “I want you to know that I want to hug you so bad right now, but I know that if I do I’ll just want more.”
On Facebook, Tyson described inviting Watson over to his home for wine and cheese, noting that she later told him she was “creeped out” and interpreted the invite as a seduction attempt. He described the handshake as “special,” writing, “I learned [it] from a Native elder on reservation land at the edge of the Grand Canyon. You extend your thumb forward during the handshake to feel the other person’s vital spirit energy – the pulse.” He wrote that his hug comment was “clumsily declared,” noting, “My intent was to express restrained but genuine affection.”
The third woman, Tchiya Amet, alleged Tyson of raping her in 1984 while they were attending the University of Texas as graduate students. She claimed she blacked out after Tyson gave her water, and then woke up naked on his bed; when she awoke, she claimed he began to have sex with her. She filed a police report in 2014 – which was not investigated because of the state’s 10-year statute of limitations on sexual assault charges – and has written multiple blog posts about the encounter in the years since.
Tyson disputed the claim, adding that the pair briefly dated but didn’t have “chemistry.” “According to her blog posts, the drug and rape allegation comes from an assumption of what happened to her during a night that she cannot remember,” he wrote. “It is as though a false memory had been implanted, which, because it never actually happened, had to be remembered as an evening she doesn’t remember.”
On Friday, Fox Broadcasting and National Geographic announced they will investigate the allegations; the next day, New York’s American Museum of Natural History, where the astrophysicist directs the Hayden Planetarium, said it is also investigating, The New York Times reports.
“In any claim, evidence matters,” Tyson wrote on Facebook. “Evidence always matters. But what happens when it’s just one person’s word against another’s, and the stories don’t agree? That’s when people tend to pass judgment on who is more credible than whom. And that’s when an impartial investigation can best serve the truth – and would have my full cooperation to do so.”
Article via RollingStone
Radio Station Removes ‘Baby, It’s Cold Outside’ From Rotation During #MeToo Peak
A radio station in Cleveland decided to remove “Baby, It’s Cold Outside” from it’s Christmas playlist after complaints from a listener deeming the tune inappropriate.
The song, written in 1944, details a conversation between a woman who is trying to leave a man’s home, and the man who won’t let her due to the blizzard outside. According to FOX8, a listener called WDOK 102.1 to say that the song doesn’t align with the morals of the growing #MeToo movement.
“People might say, ‘Oh, enough with that #MeToo,’ but if you really put that aside and listen to the lyrics, it’s not something I would want my daughter to be in that kind of a situation,” WDOK’s midday host Desiray told FOX8. “The tune might be catchy, but let’s maybe not promote that sort of an idea.”
“Baby, It’s Cold Outside” includes lyrics such as, “I simply must go/But baby it’s cold outside/The answer is no/But baby it’s cold outside.” Listen to the full tune below.
Article via: Billboard
Harvey Weinstein accused of sexually assaulting 16-year-old virgin
An aspiring actress says she was a 16-year-old virgin when disgraced movie mogul Harvey Weinstein sexually assaulted her in New York, according to an amended Manhattan federal racketeering lawsuit filed Wednesday.
The woman, a former model from Poland identified only as Jane Doe in the court papers, said that after agreeing to meet for a business lunch in 2002, Weinstein instead took her to his Soho apartment.
“…Weinstein wasted no time in aggressively and threateningly demanding sex,” the suit alleges. He told the distraught starlet that if she wanted to be an actress she had to give in to his perverted desires.
“Weinstein threatened and pressured Jane Doe, saying that he had ‘made’ the careers of Penelope Cruz and Gwyneth Paltrow, and that neither would be working without him,” the suit alleges.
“He then took off his pants and forcibly held Jane Doe while taking her hand and making her touch and massage his penis,” the filing states.
Weinstein allegedly became enraged when the terrified teen objected and refused to let her leave — but eventually relented, the suit says.
The underage catwalker had just met Weinstein three days earlier at a soiree for her modeling agency Next.
After picking her up in his car for what she thought was a business lunch, she told him she was only 16, the papers say.
The pervy producer pursued the model for the next decade, getting her an extra role in the “Nanny Diaries” in 2004 — but she continued to resist his demands for sex.
In a 2008 after-hours meeting in his Greenwich Street office to arrange for her to sign with the modeling agency Marilyn, Weinstein spotted Christina Aguilera on a nearby TV and allegedly said, “‘Wow, I’d really like to f—k that p—-y’ then unzipped his pants and began touching his penis,” the filing states. Jane Doe fled the room.
But later she continued to discuss her career with Weinstein, including trying out for “Project Runway.”
Weinstein “ensured she never received work” because she refused to hop into bed with him, she alleges. The abuse and harassment left her depressed and exacerbated her anorexia, the suit says.
She is the 10th victim to join the class action lawsuit against Weinstein, the Weinstein Company and Miramax, accusing them of assault, battery and racketeering.
The women all claim that Weinstein lured them to hotels and auditions under the guise of furthering their careers and sexually assaulted or raped them.
The suit, filed by firm Hagens Berman, says that the companies, which it calls the “Weinstein Sexual Enterprise,” were aware of the producer’s alleged illegal conduct and enabled it by threatening victims and paying them off.
In September, a federal judge instructed three women — Melissa Thompson, Caitlin Dulany and Larissa Gomez — to consolidate their suit with six other class-action plaintiffs —Louisette Geiss, Katherine Kendall, Zoe Brock, Sarah Ann Thomas, Melissa Sagemiller and Nannette Klatt.
The new complaint, filed Wednesday, added plaintiff Jane Doe, describing her disturbing allegations for the first time.
Weinstein’s civil lawyer, Elior Shiloh, declined to comment.
“This claim is preposterous,” said Weinstein’s criminal lawyer Ben Brafman. “Like so many other women in this case who have already been exposed as liars, this latest completely uncorroborated allegation that is almost 20 years old will also be shown to be patently false.”
Article via PageSix
Remy Ma Blaming Victims Of Sexual Assault For Being Too “Scared” To Report
Article via Madame Noir
The “State Of The Culture,” is rape culture.
The latest heated debate between media personality Scottie Beam and rapper Remy Ma on Revolt’s digital show, “State Of The Culture,” was a harsh reminder that it’s not just men upholding the systems of patriarchy that lambast sexual assault victims, it’s women too.
As the hosts began to tackle the topic of Bill Cosby’s recent conviction and sentencing for the 2004 rape of Andrea Constand, the lines in the sand were drawn in fire, with Scottie speaking on behalf of victims, and Remy choosing to focus on the “responsibility” of survivors to come forward immediately after assault takes place.
“It’s not easy reliving and recounting these situations that you go through that are extremely traumatic. It’s not that easy. Rape kits, having to be touched and examined all over again after you’ve been violated, is not easy. And also on top of that, having people like you sit here and say you don’t believe them.” Scottie explained to Remy.
Remy dug in her heels on her point saying, “Unfortunately, part of the procedure is convincing people about what happened.”
Scottie quipped back explaining that the entire examination process is re-traumtazing for many victims and added, “Who wants to go through that?” Continuing, “It’s not fair for you to say, you gotta come out..you can’t even save yourself at that moment.”
Remy fired off, “But you do though.” The Bronx lyricist went on to say she doesn’t believe all 60 of Cosby’s alleged accusers were telling the truth. And in her closing statements, she reiterated that if she was violated, she would say something. And women need to do the same.
“If I’m violated nothing on this planet..maybe that’s what we need to do as women. As women, we need to stand up a little more. Don’t be scared to come out.”
Continuing, “As women, this always underlying ‘I’m scared, I was afraid, I was this..’ I think they are valid. But I think as women, we have a responsibility as well, not just to ourselves, but to other women. Because if I’m violated…I want something to be done. I don’t want them just in jail. I want them violated like I’ve been violated…I want you to not use your d*ck ever again,” the 38-year-old concluded.
Beyond her suggesting some sort of vigilante retribution, Remy point’s are dangerous and hurtful on two accounts. One, she is shaming victims who never spoke out or spoke out “too late” by implying they are cowards for not seeking justice within a “reasonable” time period. Her opinion does not acknowledge the literal PTSD assault victims have to overcome to even begin the process of advocating for themselves. Beyond the physical wounds, which in some cases can include bleeding, bruising, difficulty walking, and tearing, the psychological damage that comes from surviving rape includes suicidal thoughts, depression, disassociation, fear, guilt, numbness, distrust of others, and helplessness, to name a few. For Remy to insinuate women are weak for not being able to overcome these mental and physical barriers before some arbitrary deadline is disappointing, to say the least. It’s stubborn stances like these that keep survivors of sexual assault psychologically gagged in their trauma and assailants roaming free.
Second, as Black women, we often see other black women–our mothers, sisters, aunties, friends and cousins as our safety net and our only real allies in this fight for equality and physical safety. To see one of our own victim blame evokes feelings of a deep seeded betrayal. How can you choose to focus on the victim being too “scared” to come forward, versus shifting your attention to the societal ills of toxic masculinity that perpetuates rape culture in our communities? It is the responsibility of rapists not to rape. Period. It’s not what the victim was wearing. It’s not where they were going. It’s not whether or not they were drinking. And their culpability sure as hell isn’t dependent on when they decide to report, if they ever do.
To survivors of sexual assault, there is no “expiration” date for your story. You are brave in silence. You are brave in your shaky voice. You are brave in your loud outcry. And I hear you and believe you.
If you are a survivor of sexual assault, you can call 800.656.HOPE (4673) to be connected with a trained staff member from a sexual assault service provider.
You can watch the whole show below:
Trump’s star voted off Hollywood Walk of Fame
The marker has been pummeled by a pickax and a sledgehammer, but now the West Hollywood City Council has voted to remove President Trump’s star from the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
The panel unanimously approved a resolution urging the Los Angeles City Council and Hollywood Chamber of Commerce to remove the star, Mayor John Duran announced in a tweet late Monday.
The council will send a formal letter to Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, the Los Angeles City Council and the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce to consider removing it.
But, according to a statement from the chamber, it’s unlikely it will act.
“The Hollywood Walk of Fame is a registered historic landmark. Once a star has been added to the Walk, it is considered a part of the historic fabric of the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Because of this, we have never removed a star from the Walk,” said Leron Gubler, the organization’s president and CEO.
Council members John D’Amico and Lindsey Horvath introduced the resolution to remove Trump’s star, which was awarded to him in 2007 for his work on the Miss Universe Pageant, because of his “disturbing treatment of women and other actions that do not meet the shared values of the City of West Hollywood, the region, state, and country.”
“Having a ‘star’ on the Walk of Fame is a privilege that is highly sought after by those in the entertainment industry, allowing Mr. Trump to continue to have a star in light of his behavior toward women, particularly in the #timesup and #metoo movements, should not be acceptable in the Hollywood and entertainment industry communities,” the resolution said.
Because the Walk of Fame, which holds 2,500 stars, is the property of the City of Los Angeles, the city has the final decision.
Trump’s marker has taken a beating.
A man attacked it with a sledgehammer a month before the 2016 election, and last month a protester took a pickax to it
via: https://nypost.com/2018/08/07/trumps-star-voted-off-hollywood-walk-of-fame/