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

Thank you.

<a class="break-all" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20150402081941/www.gollancz.co.uk/2014/12/good-omens-what-well-be-listening-to-this-christmas" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://web.archive.org/web/20150402081941/www.gollancz.co.uk/2014/12/good-omens-what-well-be-listening-to-this-christmas/

Here's a link from the waybackmachine to the gollancz blog piece, it mentions an "extract featuring Terry Pratchett discussing going on tour with Neil Gaiman", the first part being linked above, but I haven't (yet) found more

As horrid as the last week has been in terms of revelations, it's somewhat gratifying not to be approaching 200 days without a response. I was starting to suspect he was going to be able to slink off and never face the public.

Another cancellation, this time directly attributed to his actions. https://bleedingcool.com/comics/dark-horse-cancels-neil-gaiman-anansi-boys-comic-over-abuse-claims/

Excellent news

Yes but also sad for the other creatives who lost their income. A small quote from one in the article above:
‘Anansi Boys is about two brothers, twins. One is meek, timid, like a flopsy, set-upon puppy. The other brother is narcissistic, hedonistic, governed by nothing other than his own pursuit of sensation and pleasure. They seem so different, but they are very much flip sides of the same coin. Literally. I never gave too much thought about that. Until now. My heart breaks for the survivors and any pain seeing these books on the shelves might have caused.’

Important too that Bleeding Cool covered it. Rich Johnston is an integral part of the whisper network in comics, he's been part of multiple cancellation campaigns, he's just an awful nihilistic asshole who enjoys destroying careers. Yet he spent months not noticing that anything was up with Gaiman. That's how corrupt comics journalism is.

If Rich is reporting on it, Gaiman is really fucked.

The Independent covered this today at https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/books/news/neil-gaiman-dark-horse-comics-b2686263.html
Again - all about his denials and very little about the accusations/

And now it's on the BBC News website. Main page, too, not tucked away under 'Couture', either.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c2egnred4xxo

'Culture', obviously.

None of this has anything to do with garment design.

BBC article slightly better than the Independent.

I'm really glad this is getting wider coverage now, but selfishly: seeing so many pictures of the evil twat is making my stomach turn every single time. It's visceral.

I agree. It must be doubly unpleasant for the women he assaulted.

Can't even begin to imagine. I hope there is some degree of comfort in being believed and seeing consequences, however late and inadequate.

More thoughts from comics insiders.

This ranges a bit beyond Gaiman - as they say, it's a small industry that's more like a club, a lot of weird shit happens in comics, and the cliquishness means there's selective enforcement. Lots of people have got away with dodgy behaviour.

Which makes it all the more significant when arguably the most famous writer in the business - who they've long covered for - is getting cancelled.

He's getting cancelled without due process in a trial or anything else. Why are you folks comfortable with that? How about the men who were accused of sexual abuse and rape by the fantasist Eleanor Williams? Or Noel Clarke who has 3 women testifying that he did nothing to them as alleged by The Guardian. Let alone Russell Brand, not charged with anything in spite of the sinister music played in the Channel 4 documentary. Undoubtedly, they're all sleaze but that's not a criminal offence or a reason to be dismissed from a job as far as I know.

Smacks of the Stasi.

Perhaps Gaiman could sue Black Horse and the Independent and the BBC for libel and the whole thing could be thrashed put in court.

1. There's too many complainants to disregard this. They cannot all be lying.
2. Due process governs criminal consequences of people's actions, not social consequences.

This is true. In an English defamation trial, the burden would be on the defendants to prove that they told the truth.

Anyone want to bet on how much time Plum spends frothing online about evil JKR?

Also, the claims have been published in plenty of print outlets not just online, and NG has not moved to clear his name, he hasn't claimed he's been set up by a load of women scheming against him together, he hasn't sued the NYT or anyone else. He hasn't even really denied it, or not all of it, he's just made wishy washy noises about how he meant well and thought it was consensual and he'll "do the work". OK he hasn't said "yes I'm an abusive, power-exploiting creep who doesn't care about consent" but by not outright denying it and suing, he's essentially admitting at least some of it is true.

Won't anyone think of the sleazy men?

Actually I follow JKR on Twitter. I just don't like the idea of people losing their jobs or livelihood on the basis of Trial By Social Media. Sexual abuse and Coercion are crimes so bring a criminal prosecution against these people. Go to the police, not a journalist, especially the likes of Rachel Johnson.

Right - and are you aware of the crisis in sexual assault and rape convictions? Is it down to - what, something like 3% conviction rate now of even those that get taken to court? (The CPS brings to trial only a tiny percentage of sexual assaults). Even women with cast iron evidence struggle to get convictions for classic “stranger rape” crimes. For any women who knew their attacker, or when consent is in the grey area - no hope of any recourse via the law.

There’s a reason women’s rights campaigners say that rape is effectively decriminalised. And in that case, the idea that we should all keep schtum about dodgy men who trade in and exploit the grey areas around rape and sexual assault is just a version of the old fashioned idea that one must protect the man’s reputation at the expense of all the women he’s harmed or exploited.

Comics JS can afford the best crisis management firm in the world. They'll post on forums far and wide defending him. How is that working out for him now?