Neil Gaiman Accused Of Sexual Assault Pt II

[hihelenhi]

As we're nearly at the end of the first thread, let's make sure we keep the topic current.

There have been five women now who have spoken to podcasts about the predatory behaviour of Neil Gaiman.

First thread here:

www.mumsnet.com/talk/womens_rights/5112128-neil-gaiman-accused-of-sexual-assault

Imagine working for someone about whom there is a lot of evidence to suggest that he’s an unrepentant rapist. Despondent is a mild word to describe how it must feel.

127 days since allegations of sexual assault were made against Neil Gaiman, who has yet to respond.

Extraordinary. When he comes out of hiding it WILL come up.

https://www.timeout.com/london/theatre/odd-and-the-frost-giants

This is such a sad posting. It’s like Time Out HAD to include it but have been very clear about how they view NG, and I feel awful for Unicorn Theatre and the cast. Just a shit situation for everyone involved.

Thank you for this.

What I’m finding interesting and somewhat heartening is that it’s now being widely reported as a known fact.

So rather than just whispers in the shadows, mainstream publications are openly acknowledging that there’s a problem with Gaiman and not attempting to excuse it away.

There may not have been the big splashy mainstream expose that we’d have all liked to see but this is the next best thing.

Gaiman being a rapey perv is being accepted by everyone it seems - so hopefully there might not be a way back for him now.

Yeah, his silence has backfired on him I think. Everyone has heard and accepted the allegations and he hasn't taken the opportunity to muddle the story or defend himself, and now I think it's too late. I don't think he can appear in public now - he hasn't even given his "friends" a narrative to hold on to in order for them to save face.

I do wonder if Amanda Palmer will ever say anything. Quite possibly her financial future depends on her not saying anything.

And his silence now adds to the sense that the Tortoise Media allegations are actually proven.

We believe women, of course, but the general tendency is not to believe women in these sorts of matters. But his silence looks like acquiescence - as if he’s accepted that he cannot say anything to exonerate himself (because he is guilty of the allegations).

Trying to word my post carefully ….

And the fact he now can't actively participate on social media channels must feel like a real punishment to him. He'll be thinking he's the victim here (as he was wont to do in his phone calls).

Well, what were his options if he didn't want to open himself up to prosecution? To be fair, he did say at one point right at the start he denied the allegations and then went quiet when it made him look bad (and when Tortoise produced the grim message of him talking so he couldn't wriggle out of it). If he said "I'm sorry, I did do these things" then that's a confession which might trigger prosecutions, if indeed something hasn't been triggered already. He's already given "his take" on these things in the early days, as and when they came up. Keeping quiet, hoping it'll all go away is probably his best bet at this point.

130 days since allegations of sexual assault were made against Neil Gaiman, who has yet to respond.

He could make that donation to a rape crisis centre that he promised to one of his victims.

I mean, I would expect anyone in his situation to try to defend themselves, assuming that the allegations were false - or even just as a way of limiting the damage.

He could have easily made a statement saying it was all consensual, which, given the sexts etc from some of the women, would probably have been enough to throw enough confusion and shame into the mix that everything went away.

I think he thought he was being clever by saying nothing and now it's going to be pretty hard to come back from any of this. I'm sure people advised him it was a terrible strategy, but he's a narcissist cult leader, no one can tell him anything.

Of course he could. But he's a fake "ally to women" so that was never gonna happen.

I'm pretty sure he DID say right at the beginning of this before he went to ground that he was appalled by the allegations (I thought there was something in the Bookseller) and that it had all been consensual as far as he was concerned.

I think he said those things to the researchers at Tortoise Media and they quoted him/his lawyers in the podcast. He never made a public statement.

He could have easily made a statement saying it was all consensual, which, given the sexts etc from some of the women, would probably have been enough to throw enough confusion and shame into the mix that everything went away.

The massive risk of doing that, and "winning an advantage in the PR war" is that if there are more young women out there, this could have encouraged them to come forward. Assuming that there are, and none of us know whether this is the case, then going silent to shut down spikes of interest in the media, would make sense.

In other news, the husband and I were having one of those jokey exchanges where he realised he would just dig himself in deeper if he kept talking 😉 so he said he was ‘pulling a Gaiman’ and keeping his gob shut 😉

That's a good point. It hadn't occurred to me that it might be his lawyers who have said, in this situation and give what you've told us, you need to say nothing publically.
Jeepers. That makes me think there's a glimmer of hope there may actually be a trial. Or civil case, I guess.

Putting over his side of things might go as well for him as Prince Andrew's pitch to Emily Maitliss did.

Quite! That's probably the exact example his crisis comms people gave.

Tortoise Media are reportedly buying The Observer. Hopefully that will put paid to the non legitimate media claims - it will be interesting to see if Gaimen gets reported on there as a result.

Time for a count? Now 142 days since allegations of sexual assault were made against Neil Gaiman, who has yet to respond.

Wow - that will make things interesting!

I hope so.

Tori Amos on Neil Gaimen. https://amp.theguardian.com/music/2024/dec/03/tori-amos-on-trauma-trump-and-neil-gaiman-a-heartbreaking-grief

Just came to post that article, but I see it’s already here!