Sex Assault Charges Dropped Against Kevin Spacey After Accuser Invokes 5th Amendment

Kevin Spacey

Prosecutors in Massachusetts have dropped criminal charges against Academy Award winner Kevin Spacey just days after his accuser invoked his Fifth Amendment rights while on the witness stand.

Spacey was facing charges of indecent assault and battery in connection to allegations stemming from an incident in 2016 where he was accused of ‘groping’ an 18-year-old male at a Nantucket bar, the Club Car Bar, where the then-18-year-old worked.

According to the accuser, he was a fan who sought to meet Spacey for an autograph. Over a period of time, Spacey bought the teen a few alcoholic drinks.

In chat messages to his girlfriend, the accuser claimed Spacey ‘groped’ his leg and eventually worked his hands down the boy’s pants where the groping continued for about three minutes. The teen admitted he didn’t try to stop Spacey.

Spacey pleaded not guilty to the charges in January adamantly denying he forced his hands down the young man’s pants, calling the incident a “mutual and consensual flirtation.”

Local CBS news affiliate WBZ reports the accuser and his parents were ordered to testify under oath after telling the court the young man’s cellphone, which he used the night of the alleged assault to send multiple text messages, could not be found.

The accuser says he gave the phone to investigators early in the investigation and it was never returned.

But a state trooper gave testimony he had given the phone back to the family, and another officer testified he saw the trooper hand over the phone to the family. The trooper also testified the boy’s mother shared that she’d deleted “frat boy activities” from the phone.

Spacey’s lawyers had asked to examine the phone to recover deleted text messages they said would bolster Spacey’s case.

The young man denied deleting messages from the phone or editing screen captures of his chat conversations from the night of the alleged incident he had provided to investigators.

But when defense attorneys asked the young man if he knew tampering with evidence is crime, he invoked his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination.

At that point, Judge Thomas Barrett ordered the testimony removed from the court record, and turned to the prosecutors asking how the trial could move forward if the accuser would refuse to testify.

During that same hearing, the accuser’s mother, former Boston news anchor Heather Unruh, admitted she “deleted a few things” from the phone concerning her son’s “frat boy activities” before handing it over to the authorities. But added there was “no intent” on her part to deceive.

According to WBZ, Cape and Island District Attorney Michael O’Keefe announced on Wednesday the charges against Spacey were being dropped “due to an unavailability of the complaining witness.”

This comes two weeks after the accuser also chose to drop a civil lawsuit against Spacey.

There was speculation that a private settlement between the parties had been reached, but the young man’s mother denied there was any payment or settlement between the two camps.

The accuser’s attorney told the press the civil lawsuit was dropped because the young man was ‘overwhelmed’ and wanted only “one roller coaster ride at a time.”

Spacey’s career virtually collapsed beginning in November 2017 after a series of allegations of sexual misconduct and harassment beginning with actor Anthony Rapp telling Buzzfeed that Spacey made inappropriate sexual advances towards him when he was 14-years-old in 1986.

More allegations followed which led to Spacey being fired from his Netflix series, House of Cards, replaced in an already-completed movie, All the Money in the World. Additionally, he was dropped by both his agent and publicist.

Earlier this month, Varietyreported that Scotland Yard is still investigating sexual assault allegations regarding Spacey during his time as the artistic director of the Old Vic theater in London.

Civil Lawsuit Alleging Sexual Assault By Kevin Spacey Dropped Without Explanation

Kevin Spacey during court appearance in December 2018 (screen capture)

The young man who accused Academy Award winner Kevin Spacey of groping him at a Nantucket restaurant in 2016 has dropped his civil lawsuit

Local ABC affiliate WCVB reports the court filing alleging sexual assault by Spacey has been dismissed “with prejudice,” which bars the plaintiff from filing another case on the same claim.

From the court filing: “Plaintiff states that because no adverse party has served an answer or motion for summary judgment in this matter, Plaintiff is voluntarily dismissing this civil action.”

The lawsuit, filed on June 26, had sought a jury trial and damages for medical bills as well as emotional distress.

WCVB notes that the three year statute of limitations runs out this week.

Spacey still faces criminal charges in regard to the alleged sexual assault.

A hearing for the criminal case is scheduled for Monday.

Boston-based lawyer Marc Breakstone says the phrase “with prejudice” in the dismissal is a significant component to the case.

“I would say there is an overwhelming likelihood that there was a settlement and that the terms of the settlement will never be revealed because of a confidentiality provision,” Breakstone told the Boston Globe.

The veteran lawyer also surmises the criminal case could now be in jeopardy as well.

“I would say that the pros of Spacey will also come to a swift end because the [teenager] will not cooperate with the prosecution,” said Breakstone. “That’s the only plausible explanation for the sudden dismissal of the civil lawsuit.”

The allegations were made public in November 2017 by former local news anchor Heather Unruh, who claims Spacey groped her then-18-year-old son at the Club Car Restaurant in July 2016. Her son was employed there at the time as a bus boy.

According to documents filed in court, the teen asked to meet the Oscar winner after his shift ended at the restaurant. The young man admitted to investigators that he told Spacey he was 23-years-old.

Unruh says Spacey bought the teen several drinks, and eventually sexually assaulted her son by groping the teen’s leg. The court filing accused Spacey of unzipping the teen's pants and groping him for approximately three minutes him without consent.

The teen admitted to police investigators that he didn’t say anything, attempt to stop Spacey, or walk away during the alleged assault.

During a December 2018 court hearing, Spacey’s legal team asserted the encounter was consensual.

Spacey’s attorneys point to the fact that the boy did not immediately report the incident to police. In fact, the teen wasn’t interviewed in person until a year later.

After the December court hearing, Spacey released a bizarre video via YouTube where he reprised his House of Cards character, Frank Underwood, urging the viewer to not rush to judgement.

"Despite even my own death, I feel surprisingly good, and my confidence grows each day that soon enough you will know the full truth," said Spacey in the video.

The criminal case hit another snag last month when prosecutors told the court the teen’s cell phone had ‘disappeared.’ The prosecution reportedly used some text messages from the phone in justifying the charges against Spacey.

Spacey's defense attorney, Alan Jackson, alleged some text messages had been deleted, and requested the chance to examine the phone.

The teenager’s lawyer, Mitchell Garabedian, told the court that the boy’s mother had given the phone to police investigators in December 2017, when the initial probe began, and neither the teen nor his parents “recall seeing the phone since.”

WCVB reached out to the teen's mother, who declined to comment on the developments.

At the height of the #MeToo movement, Spacey was publicly accused of sexual assault and misbehavior by a series of men including actors Anthony Rapp, Guy Pierce, and Harry Dreyfuss, as well as crew members on the set of his Netflix series, House of Cards.

As a result of the wave of accusations, Spacey was dismissed from House of Cards and replaced in the film, All the Money in the World, after the movie had already been completed.

Additionally, he was dropped by his talent agent and publicist.

(source: WCVB, Boston Globe)

When An Ankle Exam Turned Into A 'Massage'

(image by Marlon Lara on Unsplash)

You know how an ankle exam sometimes turns into a date?

Yeah, me neither.

A Pennsylvania doctor has been charged with indecent assault after an ankle exam went in a whole different direction.

According to local news station WQAD, the male victim told police he texted Dr. William Vollmar on March 14 about treating his injured ankle.

The physician agreed to meet the man at his Quarryville sports clinic in at 7:30 p.m.

After 5-10 minutes of examination, Vollmar asked the man if he wanted to be “worked on.” Assuming the doctor meant massage and chiropractic adjustments, which the doctor had performed on the victim before, he said yes.

Near the end of the massage, during which the patient was naked except for a towel over his mid-section, the doctor asked the man, “Do you trust me?”

The man said he did, and Vollmar then began to touch the victim’s genitals.

Stunned, the man told Vollmar to stop. According to the victim, the doctor then asked, “Do you want me to finish you?”

The victim declined and ended the “massage.”

The victim told police that he never consented to have his genitals touched.

When the police interviewed Vollmar, the doctor explained that the whole episode was a “huge misunderstanding, mostly on my part.”

The doctor told the authorities that, while doing chiropractic manipulation on the man’s hips, he thought the man showed interest in something more, so Vollmar touched the peen.

According to the police complaint, the doctor admitted the victim had not given permission to touch his genitals.

(h/t WQAD)

Police Report: There's Video Evidence In The Sex Assault Case Against Kevin Spacey

Kevin Spacey

The sexual assault case involving Oscar winner Kevin Spacey includes video evidence of the actor touching the alleged victim’s pants, according to MassLive.com.

As reported earlier this week, Spacey is scheduled to be arraigned in Nantucket, Massachusetts, on January 7.

The former House of Cards star faces one count of indecent assault on a person over the age of 14 after being accused of groping an 18-year-old in a Nantucket bar in the summer of 2016.

The alleged victim is the son of local news anchor Heather Unruh, who came forward last year with the story.

The #weinsteinscandal has emboldened me-- #truth time. I was a Kevin Spacey fan until he assaulted a loved one. Time the dominoes fell pic.twitter.com/C0eiWEfHSO

— Heather Unruh (@HeatherUnruh) October 13, 2017

MassLive obtained the State Police report after it was filed with criminal complaint in Nantucket District Court.

It’s worth noting that the alleged assault was reported to police on October 31, 2016, a year before the onslaught of accusations against Spacey that eventually led to his firing from the hit Netflix series House of Cards and being replaced in the film, All the Money in the World.

Among the details revealed in the police report:

The teen was employed at the bar where the alleged incident took place, known as the Club Car, as a bus boy.

He asked a coworker to introduce him to Spacey after his shift.

While chatting, the teen told Spacey he was 23-years-old and the actor offered to buy him a drink.

The teen admitted to having 4-5 beers before Spacey reportedly suggested switching to whiskey saying, “Let’s get drunk.”

As the evening progressed, singing songs at a piano, the boy mentioned his girlfriend of five months to which Spacey alleged responded to by talking about the size of his penis.

Spacey reportedly asked the boy to go back to the where house he was staying, which the teen says made him uncomfortable.

Later, standing in group of people at the piano, Spacey allegedly began touching the teen’s leg, then unzipped his pants and touched him without consent.

The police trooper wrote in the report the teen was uncertain how to handle the situation as he knew he could get in trouble as he was under legal drinking age and he was drinking at work.

The boy admitted to police that he didn’t say anything nor did he walk away during the assault.

As the touching went on for some minutes, he took out his phone and captured video of Spacey groping him via Snapchat and sent it to his girlfriend. The girlfriend has confirmed receiving the video.

Eventually, Spacey went to the bathroom and Unruh’s son told a woman in the bar he thought Spacey was being inappropriate. He then ran home and shared the story with his sister.

The police report notes that the son has attempted to play down the incident, but his sister and mother both feel that response has been a ‘coping mechanism.’

Unruh’s son eventually went to the police and an investigation began.

Interviewing members of the Club Car staff, no one reported seeing any assault although two employees recalled the teen and Spacey chatting. And one remembered the boy looking “pale, blank and a bit frightened.”

As Instinct reported, the day the charges were announced, Spacey tweeted out a link to a bizarre YouTube video. The tweet was his first in a year.

Spacey delivered a monologue to the camera as his former House of Cards character, ‘Frank Underwood,’ saying in part, “But, you wouldn’t believe the worst without evidence, would you?”

In the heat of the #MeToo movement last year, Spacey was accused by actor Anthony Rapp (RENT, Star Trek: Discovery) of inappropriate behavior at a holiday party decades ago when both were appearing on Broadway. Rapp was 14 at the time of that alleged incident.

Spacey responded to Rapp's accusation by saying he was 'horrified' by the story but didn't remember it. He then offered an apology to Rapp characterizing the episode as what must have been "deeply drunken behavior."

He also used the apology to finally come out as gay after years of rumors.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Kevin Spacey (@kevinspacey) on Oct 29, 2017 at 9:02pm PDT

During the following weeks, more than a dozen more allegations of sexual misconduct involving Spacey were reported.

The Return Of Kevin Spacey: "You Wouldn't Believe The Worst Without Evidence, Would You?"

Kevin Spacey

Kevin Spacey briefly returned to his House of Cards role of “Frank Underwood” in a video posted to his YouTube channel that has lots of folks scratching their heads.

The actor, who was fired from the hit Netflix series amid several allegations of sexual impropriety, speaks to the camera in the same style utilized by ‘Frank’ with language that could apply both to his character’s sudden death and his own personal legal challenges.

According to The Boston Globe, Spacey is scheduled to be arraigned on January 7 in Nantucket regarding a criminal complaint of indecent assault and battery that allegedly happened in July 2016.

A link to the video was tweeted out by Spacey (his first tweet in a year) minutes after the Globe’s story was published.

In the video, titled “Let Me Be Frank,” the 59-year-old begins by staring at the viewer saying, “Oh, I know what you want.”

“Oh sure, they may have tried to separate us, but what we have is too strong, too powerful,” he continues.

Is he talking about himself and the audience? Or himself and 'Frank?'

Referencing his “deepest, darkest secrets,” the Academy Award winner says, “I showed you exactly what people are capable of.”

He also says he knows what his audience wants - “You want me back.”

He then takes a turn, sharing, “Of course, some believed everything and they’ve been waiting with bated breath to hear me confess it all.”

“They’re just dying to have me declare that everything said was ‘true’ and that I got what I deserved,” Spacey laments without directly mentioning the real-world allegations. “Wouldn’t that be easy, if it were all so simple?”

“You wouldn’t believe the worst without evidence, would you?”

“You wouldn’t rush to judgements without facts, would you?”

“Despite all the poppycock, the animosity, the headlines, the impeachment without a trial, despite everything, despite even my own death, I feel surprisingly good,” Spacey says referencing Frank’s death. “And my confidence grows each day that soon enough you will know the full truth.”

Clearly, Spacey is attempting to offer his own House of Cards finale, but there’s a wink of the eye in his choice of words and timing of the video.

Interestingly, most commenters on the YouTube page are raving, saying the ‘scene’ was much better than the actual final season of House of Cards.

Watch the three-minute video below and let me know what you think in the comments section.

(Kevin Spacey is meeting with the worst PR company of all time)

PR flack: "So here's our idea: we film you, in character as Frank Underwood, in a poorly-lit kitchen, reciting a ton of skin-crawling dialogue, and then we release the clip on Christmas Eve."

Spacey: "Perfect"

— Scott Wampler™ (@ScottWamplerBMD) December 24, 2018

What if he shows up in court with his Underwood personae.. I'm willing to believe that he actually thinks he's Frank Underwood now. https://t.co/bTeWeEA7vu

— Ihsan Zirih 🇺🇸 (@IhsanZirih) December 24, 2018

That video by Kevin Spacey is seriously weird. But welcome back @KevinSpacey. He just trashed his enemies and House of Cards season 6 in only 6minutes. Pure talent. Welcome back Mr President, Frank Underwood

— Lord Abraham Mutai (@ItsMutai) December 24, 2018

Photographer Charged With Drugging Male Models To Fulfill 'Straight Guy' Fetish

(stock photo - Alexander Dummer)

Nigel Wilkinson, a British photographer, is accused of luring straight male models to his home for photo shoots where he would allegedly drug and rape them.

The self-described ‘fitness photographer’ has been charged with one count of rape, one count of sexual assault, five counts of voyeurism, and six counts of administering a substance with intent according to The Daily Mail.

According to testimony, he would approach men on Instagram and offer to take fully-clothed photos of the victims as long he was allowed to also take a few “semi-nude, arty, tasteful pictures’ for his own use.

The prosecutor, Sarah Regan, told the jury, "It is clear that he tapped into the modern obsession with looking good and promoting the self, to add to the number of followers and likes on social media."

His victims told the court he would offer them a drink, which they later realized was drugged, and would wake up naked, sometimes in the photographer’s bed.

One man alleges that he woke up the morning after a so-called photo shoot face down in Wilkinson’s bed unable to move, reports The Daily Mail.

“I wasn’t really capable of really moving, and I don’t think I could even really say anything,” the man told the court.

He added Wilkinson was “doing stuff” to him. The young man added, “I’m 99% sure he tried to have sex with me” as the photographer was behind him in an “obviously sexual position.”

In online Skype chats entered into evidence during the trial, Wilkinson apparently used the alias “Straight Boy Lover.”

In one chat, Wilkinson allegedly wrote “I love dumb jocks and guys stupid enough to sleep next to me.”

He also said he “liked to have sex with straight men - and that he liked to do it without them being aware of it.”

Telling another user he was “very much” into “drunk, sleeping guys,” he was asked if he had ever penetrated ‘a sleeper.’ He allegedly replied, “Oh yes, many times.”

In an October 2014 chat with another user, he said to an online user based in Romania, “I get a kick out of robbing a straight guy of his masculinity.”

The alleged assaults took place between February 2014 and December 2015.

The court case is currently underway.

(h/t The Daily Mail)

Billy Porter Pens Powerful, Frank Personal Essay Chronicling Childhood Rape

Billy Porter

Tony Award-winner and current star of FX’s Pose and American Horror Story: Apocalypse, Billy Porter, has penned a frank and revealing personal story of childhood rape and sexual assault for OUT.com.

“Sharing my story with @outmagazine was both cathartic and empowering,” Porter wrote on Twitter. “Be warned, I held nothing back.”

As a disclaimer to the essay, Porter warns the reader that the piece contains “very explicit content,” and if that makes people uncomfortable his advice is to “move on now.”

“Because what we’re not gonna do is shame victims any longer,” he adds. “I have written this piece to continue the excavation of a healing for my soul, not the readers’ comfort level.”

And then, in unfiltered prose, Porter details how his stepfather began to sexually molest/assault him from the time he was 9-years-old.

Porter explains it began with his stepfather introducing him to soft porn and then graduating to more hardcore imagery in Hustler Magazine. His stepfather would ask which pictures he liked and Porter, in an effort to “endear” himself would say, “I like the ones with women and the men.”

A year later, things had escalated to his stepfather choking Porter while forcing him to perform oral sex.

With a reference to the recent Brett Kavanaugh hearings where Dr. Christine Blasey Ford was eventually mocked by the president for not having enough details for her memory to be considered credible, Porter writes:

Cut to a year later with my two hundred and fifty pound stepfather fucking my face with his uncut, coke-can-girthed c**k. (You were warned...)

Is that enough, y’all? Is that horrendous memory “credible” enough or is it too old to matter because I can’t remember the particulars of how I got to the bottom of a face-f*cking position, with the adult put in charge to raise me? Is the manic memory of being suffocated by my stepfather’s beer belly as he…as he…rammed…as I choked. 

Am I being too graphic?  Is my language to offensive so you can’t “hear” me? After 40-years of taking care of everyone else’s feeling surrounding my trauma, the only person I care about is taking care of myself! Sorry, not sorry.

‘I was born gay and he knew it,” Porter continued. “He knew I would respond favorably to the sex, because sex is pleasurable, sex feels good.”

And then, like many childhood victims of sexual assault, he questions himself. “Maybe it’s my fault,” he writes. “Maybe I asked for it.”

Porter would eventually escape by working at a summer theme park. It was there that the memory of “the affair,” as he had come to call it, would overwhelm him.

It was when his mother came to see him perform that he would tell her of the abuse.

“She believed me but she stayed with him,” writes the Pose star. “I was testing her, I guess? To see if anybody could take care of me. Would there being any consequences for the damage he had inflicted. Would there be any reckoning?”

Porter would spend the next year living in the family basement, filling his schedule with school, dance classes and performances while avoiding his stepfather.

But late one night, when Porter came home late after being at a church concert, his mother forced the two men into a confrontation. The stepfather came downstairs brandishing a leather belt.

“If you hit me… You better kill me,” Porter told his stepfather.

And then his mother demanded that the teenager “Tell him what you told me!” And the stepfather immediately went into denial.

“I didn’t do anything to that boy. I didn’t do anything... he... he didn’t already have coming to him! I told you there was something wrong with him. Something ain’t right with him in the head. I... I can’t believe this. I... That’s a lie. It’s a lie. He’s lying!”

Porter called him out, though. “Lying about what?”

Silence.

“See…? You just told on yourself.”

Soon after, Porter moved out and headed off to college at Carnegie-Mellon University. Even though the school was just minutes from home, he never went back.

The stepfather would die two years later due to a heart attack.

There would be no closure; no resolution; no healing.

Porter explains the #MeToo movement as well as the recent Brett Kavanaugh/Christine Blasey Ford showdown led him to share his story.

We’ve been forced to endure yet another public victim of these violent atrocities be shamed, mocked, laughed at, disbelieved and discredited while the monsters receive saintly status and are elevated to the highest court in the land with the power to legislate our lives as they see fit.  No accountability. No consequences. Time’s up, Bitches! TIMES! UP!

In the end, it’s not a ‘woe-is-me’ story. This is a call to action.

Porter closes with a clarion call to use the one power we have in these trying times.

We have to stop in-fighting each other and band together to save our Democracy and earth’s humanity.  Period! The End! Cause I know when the shit hits the fan they’re coming for my black faggoty loud mouth ass first.

So I’m gonna stand on the shoulders of all those who came before us, the folk who laid down their lives for the rights we seems to be so carelessly squandering -  and keep screaming and fighting till my dying day! Who’s gonna join me?  Pull it together people, it’s time to save the world!

VOTE, BITCHES!!! While we still can! It’s the only power we have!

To call the essay 'powerful' would be an incredible understatement.

Click here to read the full unfiltered (remember you are warned) at OUT.com.

And then - GO VOTE.

News Round-Up: October 9, 2018

(image courtesy of Australian Firefighters Calendar)

Some news items you might have missed:

• The Australian Firefighters Calendar (above) is so popular (how popular is it?) that there are multiple versions including the hot firefighters and dogs edition, the hot firefighters and cats edition, the hot firefighters and animals edition and the just plain "hot" edition. The annual charity calendars raise money for several charities each year. Click over to the official website for more photos and info.

• Three members of a high school football team in Utah are under investigation for allegedly sexually assaulting a team mate. Two boys reportedly held down their team mate while a third rubbed his junk on the boy's face. Since the initial allegations, 13 more players have come forward with similar allegations.

• While opening for Randy Rainbow at a theater on Long Island, Rosie O’Donnell reportedly told the crowd that she and Gaga will be acting in a revival of Funny Girl.

Rosie O'Donnell just said on stage that Lady Gaga will play Funny Girl on Broadway and she'll play her mother.

— BRIAN O'KEEFE (@BOKABC) October 7, 2018

• Cameron Monaghan, who's played the gay middle child, Ian Gallagher, on the Showtime series Shameless since it's 2011 premiere has announced this week's episode will be his last.

• The Human Rights Campaign's 'Municipal Equality Index' came up with a record 78 cities with a perfect score of 100. The list of 506 cities in the U.S. also found 15 cities that ranked an abysmal zero. The survey looks at things like non-discrimination policies as well as community relationships with police departments.

• One of the members of the gay string quartet Well Strung got in hot water posting a shirtless pic as he stood on a grave in a cemetery. Check the bottom right pic below. #seriously?

Trump Openly Mocks Brett Kavanaugh Accuser Christine Blasey Ford

Americans were stunned last night as Donald Trump openly mocked Dr. Christine Blasey Ford at a campaign rally.

After telling the press that she had been "very compelling" last week after her testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee, Trump questioned her credibility last night.

Imitating Ford and her questioner, Trump said, “‘I had one beer.’ Well do you think it was...?”

“‘Nope. It was one beer.’ Oh good. How did you get home? ‘I don’t remember.’"

"How did you get there? ‘I don’t remember.’"

"Where is the place? ‘I don’t remember.’"

"How many years ago was it? ‘I don’t know. I don’t know. I don’t know.’”

“What neighborhood was it in? ‘I don’t know.’ Where’s the house? ‘I don’t know. Upstairs. Downstairs. I don’t know. But I had one beer, that’s the only thing I remember.’”

And the crowd went wild. Watch below.

BREAKING: Trump mocks Dr. Ford (Video)

Hey, .@DonaldJTrumpJr.

Your father is an asshole.

This is the most misogynist display of barbaric insensitivity I’ve ever seen.

THIS IS WHY I DIDN’T REPORT. THIS RIGHT HERE.

Women are watching. And we vote. pic.twitter.com/VJgWPzNlRd

— Alyssa Milano (@Alyssa_Milano) October 3, 2018

President Trump says Christine Blasey Ford's testimony was "very compelling" and Brett Kavanaugh's was "really something that I haven't seen before. It was incredible."

"But certainly, she was a very credible witness," he adds, referring to Ford. https://t.co/OZ1W7ZOMeG pic.twitter.com/OnzXiD7try

— CNN (@CNN) September 28, 2018

As Trump mocked Dr. Ford during his rally, I couldn’t help but notice the little boy standing behind him.

The boy is watching the President of the United States mock sexual assault survivors & the crowd cheer in response.

Society has failed this child.pic.twitter.com/y9j3JmWapb

— TOᑭ ᖇOᑭE TᖇAViS (@TopRopeTravis) October 3, 2018

There's only one word to describe this man. He is a pig. His cruelty is infinite. https://t.co/sbGZT35FrW

— Joan Walsh (@joanwalsh) October 3, 2018

Trump mocks Kavanaugh accuser
Trump mocks ABC reporter
Trump mocks Dianne Feinstein
Trump mocks MeToo movement
Trump mocks disabled reporter
Trump mocks McCain’s heroism
Trump mocks George H.W. Bush
Trump mocks LeBron James
Trump mocks Puerto Rican accent
Trump mocks dying McCain

— Rep. Ted Deutch (@RepTedDeutch) October 3, 2018

Bill Cosby Sentenced to 3-10 Years In Prison For Sexual Assault

Bill Cosby (booking photo via Montgomery County Board of Commissioners)

Bill Cosby, formerly “America’s Dad,” has been sentenced to three to ten years in prison for three counts of sexual assault.

After years of scandal and accusations, Cosby was found guilty of three counts of felony aggravated indecent assault in April.

While state guidelines recommend between one and four years for each count, a single count has the potential to carry 10 years in prison meaning Cosby could have faced a 30-year prison sentence.

According to Yahoo News, Judge Steven O’Neill told the court during sentencing, "I'm not permitted to treat him any differently based on who he is or who he was.”

The District Attorney had asked for the maximum sentence but the defense team requested leniency in regard to Cosby’s age and frailty (Cosby is now legally blind).

Cosby will now serve at least three years in prison with the possibility of supervised release at that point, but there’s no guarantee he’ll be released then.

Andrea Constand, his victim, was in the courtroom as well as more than half a dozen of Cosby’s other accusers (he had nearly 60 in total).

In her victim impact letter, which was shared in court on Monday, Constand wrote that the “psychological, emotional, and financial bullying included a slander campaign in the media that left my entire family reeling in shock and disbelief.”

“Now, almost 15 years later, I’m a middle aged woman who’s been stuck in a holding pattern for most of her adult life, unable to heal fully or move forward,” she added.

In addition to the prison sentence, Cosby was denied bail; has been ordered to pay a $25,000 fine; undergo counseling for the rest of his life; and register as a sex offender.

In the era of the #MeToo movement, it’s notable that in order to deliver justice for the victim, it took two trials and dozens of accusers to come forward.

And people wonder why sexual assault victims don’t come forward immediately.

#WhyIDidntReport

Donald Trump recently tweeted in a sarcastic tone that Christine Blasey Ford "surely must have come forward" after her alleged attack in high school by Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh.

Trump asked to see the filed reports:

I have no doubt that, if the attack on Dr. Ford was as bad as she says, charges would have been immediately filed with local Law Enforcement Authorities by either her or her loving parents. I ask that she bring those filings forward so that we can learn date, time, and place!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 21, 2018

As we all know, most victims of sexual assault do not come forward for fear of not being believed, or becoming a victim AGAIN via the authorities/media.

From the most-wise Ed Dixon (via Facebook):

“She was raped at the age of 8. Her rapist was found guilty, but spent only one day in jail. After he was released, he was murdered. Because of this, she became mute for almost 5 years, believing her "voice killed him."

"I killed him that man. because I told his name. And, then I thought I would never speak again, because my voice would kill anyone ..."

Her name was Marguerite Ann Johnson. Later in life, she would change her name . . . to Maya Angelou (photo above).

Trump Finally Breaks Loose And Attacks Kavanaugh Accuser

Donald Trump

After what must have been an excruciating week for the Donald, President Trump finally tore off his muzzle and began blaming Christine Ford, the alleged victim of sexual assault of Supreme Court nominee, Judge Brett Kavanaugh.

On Twitter today, Trump wrote, "I have no doubt that, if the attack on Dr. Ford was as bad as she says, charges would have been immediately filed with local Law Enforcement Authorities by either her or her loving parents. I ask that she bring those filings forward so that we can learn date, time, and place!"

As anyone who's spent a minute reading on sexual assault, victims often don't report the incidents due to shame or fear of becoming the victim all over again by having the story turned against them.

I have no doubt that, if the attack on Dr. Ford was as bad as she says, charges would have been immediately filed with local Law Enforcement Authorities by either her or her loving parents. I ask that she bring those filings forward so that we can learn date, time, and place!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 21, 2018

And speaking to Fox News host Sean Hannity on Thursday, Trump wondered aloud, “Why didn’t somebody call the FBI 36 years ago?”

The radical left lawyers want the FBI to get involved NOW. Why didn’t someone call the FBI 36 years ago?

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 21, 2018

Sen. Grassley To Kavanaugh Accuser: "It's Not The FBI's Role To Investigate This"

Judge Brett Kavanaugh

In the ongoing scandal regarding sexual misconduct allegations leveled against U.S. Supreme Court nominee Judge Brett Kavanaugh by college professor Christine Blasey Ford when they were high school students, the Senate Judiciary Committee has invited both Kavanaugh and Ford to testify next Monday.

Kavanaugh has agreed to appear, but in a letter from her lawyer yesterday, Ford requested a pause so the FBI can do a proper investigation of the issue.

Via The New York Times:

Speaking through lawyers, Christine Blasey Ford said she would cooperate with the Senate Judiciary Committee and left open the possibility of testifying later about her allegations against Judge Brett M. Kavanaugh. But echoing Senate Democrats, she said an investigation should be “the first step” before she is put “on national television to relive this traumatic and harrowing incident.”

Republicans signaled Tuesday night that they would not negotiate an alternative date and would go ahead with the hearing without her or declare it unnecessary if she refuses to appear, then possibly move to a vote. They have repeatedly stressed that Monday would be Dr. Blasey’s opportunity to testify, either privately or publicly, and that they planned to move forward with the confirmation process afterward.

In a letter to Ford and her attorney, Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-IA) repeated his invitation to testify this coming Monday.

He also stated, "It is not the FBI’s role to investigate a matter such as this."

Kavanaugh has expressly denied the allegations.

His longtime friend, Mark Judge, who Ford alleges was in the room at the time of the alleged assault, has said he does not remember the incident and will not testify under oath.

Judge's inclusion in the story makes for an interesting detail by Ford. Many experts say if she were lying, why would she include the presence of a third person in the room who might corroborate Kavanaugh's denials?

Unless she's telling the truth...?

A new Reuters/Ipsos poll shows only 31% of those polled support Kavanaugh's nomination while 36% oppose (up six points from last week).

Kavanaugh Defender: Instead Of Rape, Maybe It Was Just 'Rough Horseplay?'

Republicans need to all get in one room and come up with a singular defense for their Supreme Court nominee, Judge Brett Kavanaugh, when trying to tamp down the recent allegations that he sexually assaulted a teenage girl back in his high school days.

Kavanaugh has already issued statements like "I have never done anything like what the accuser describes" and telling an aide to Sen. Orrin Hatch that he wasn't even "at the party in question."

Then today, Carrie Severino, spokesperson of the Judicial Crisis Network, defended the judge on CNN.

JCN is the campaign group for Republican judicial nominations that handles promoting nominees to the public.

In a new take, Severino tried to make the case that what Kavanaugh's accuser describes could have been a simple case of “rough horse play” as opposed to attempted rape.

Kavanaugh spokesperson/activist says it's not clear that the incident was attempted rape as opposed to just "rough horseplay". pic.twitter.com/cANvVNjFKX

— Josh Marshall (@joshtpm) September 18, 2018

Now, if Kavanaugh has "never done anything like" what Dr. Christine Blasey Ford has alleged, how could it be described as "rough horseplay?"

Or - how could the teenage Kavanaugh have engaged in "rough horseplay" if he wasn't at the party in question?

I'm not the only one who thought this sounded rather odd...

“Horseplay” is the new “Locker room talk”.

COMING SOON:
—Waterboarding = “goofing around”
—Being thrown down a flight of stairs = “shenanigans”
—Murder = “just breaking your balls a little” https://t.co/3lq0wz0jx7

— Charles Gaba (@charles_gaba) September 18, 2018

I'm a regular guy: I put my pants on one leg at a time and I turn up my music real loud during horseplay to drown out the screams. https://t.co/9BKA2cqhLR

— Joe Berkowitz (@JoeBerkowitz) September 18, 2018

And now the “horseplay” defense. With friends like these ... https://t.co/D77VZaef7v

— Lawrence O'Donnell (@Lawrence) September 18, 2018

rough horseplay at the party he wasn't at https://t.co/rYBB62wZu1

— Greg Dworkin (@DemFromCT) September 18, 2018

(h/t JoeMyGod)

SCOTUS Nominee Brett Kavanaugh & His Accuser Will Testify Regarding Sexual Assault Claim

Judge Brett Kavanaugh

And its official: Judge Brett Kavanaugh, Donald Trump's nominee for the U.S. Supreme Court, and his accuser, Christine Blasey Ford, will both testify before the Senate Judiciary Committee regarding the allegations of sexual assault dating back to when the two were in high school.

From The New York Times:

The chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, under mounting pressure from senators of his own party, will call President Trump’s Supreme Court nominee, Judge Brett M. Kavanaugh, and the woman who has accused him of sexual assault before the committee on Monday for extraordinary public hearings just weeks before the midterm elections.

Senator John Kennedy, Republican of Louisiana, told reporters Monday afternoon that the chairman, Senator Charles E. Grassley, Republican of Iowa, told senators there would be an “opportunity” for senators to hear from Judge Kavanaugh and his accuser, Christine Blasey Ford, in a public setting where senators would be able to ask questions. Both have said they are willing to testify.

A Senate Republican aide confirmed that it would be on Monday, effectively delaying a planned committee vote on Judge Kavanaugh’s nomination, which had been scheduled for this Thursday.

According to reports, Ford has already taken and passed a polygraph test.

I would love to know if Kavanaugh, who has thoroughly denounced the allegations, would be willing to do the same?

Here, via CNN, is the letter Ford sent to Sen. Dianne Feinstein of California earlier this summer.

These are the allegations.

Dear Senator Feinstein;

I am writing with information relevant in evaluating the current nominee to the Supreme Court.

As a constituent, I expect that you will maintain this as confidential until we have further opportunity to speak.

Brett Kavanaugh physically and sexually assaulted me during high school in the early 1980's. He conducted these acts with the assistance of REDACTED.

Both were one to two years older than me and students at a local private school.

The assault occurred in a suburban Maryland area home at a gathering that included me and four others.

Kavanaugh physically pushed me into a bedroom as I was headed for a bathroom up a short stair well from the living room. They locked the door and played loud music precluding any successful attempt to yell for help.

Kavanaugh was on top of me while laughing with REDACTED, who periodically jumped onto Kavanaugh. They both laughed as Kavanaugh tried to disrobe me in their highly inebriated state. With Kavanaugh's hand over my mouth I feared he may inadvertently kill me.

From across the room a very drunken REDACTED said mixed words to Kavanaugh ranging from "go for it" to "stop."

At one point when REDACTED jumped onto the bed the weight on me was substantial. The pile toppled, and the two scrapped with each other. After a few attempts to get away, I was able to take this opportune moment to get up and run across to a hallway bathroom. I locked the bathroom door behind me. Both loudly stumbled down the stair well at which point other persons at the house were talking with them. I exited the bathroom, ran outside of the house and went home.

I have not knowingly seen Kavanaugh since the assault. I did see REDACTED once at the REDACTED where he was extremely uncomfortable seeing me.

I have received medical treatment regarding the assault. On July 6 I notified my local government representative to ask them how to proceed with sharing this information . It is upsetting to discuss sexual assault and its repercussions, yet I felt guilty and compelled as a citizen about the idea of not saying anything.

I am available to speak further should you wish to discuss. I am currently REDACTED and will be in REDACTED.

In confidence, REDACTED.

Former Marine Pens Op-Ed Regarding Male-On-Male Sexual Assault

A recent New York Times article penned by U.S. Army Captain Justin Rose shares his first-person account of having been the victim of sexual assault during his time as a U.S. Marine.

The incident occurred in 2006 while deployed to the Horn of Africa. The perpetrator was a fellow Marine, someone Rose considered a friend.

At the time, Rose told his superiors what had happened, and months later he testified at a court martial along with three other Marines who had reported similar inappropriate sexual misconduct.

But the result of that legal proceeding was for Rose and his fellow Marines to be labeled “liars” and “co-conspirators” who were trying to ruin a man’s reputation.

They were told their stories were not believable, and that the accused was a Midwesterner with a religious background. The military judge refused to buy the four men’s allegations.

What stands out most in Rose’s personal essay was the shame that he felt. He was a Marine - how could he have “let” this happen?

From The New York Times:

Long after the attack itself is over, you’re left dealing with all the toxic doubts and self-blame that come with being sexually assaulted.

I fought with the idea that I somehow invited this upon myself, that I deserved it or was somehow to blame for the assault. It stripped away my confidence and degraded the trust I had in my fellow Marines.

I questioned the values that I first bought into when I became a Marine: the belief in honor, courage and commitment that was instilled by our drill instructors. I didn’t immediately confront my attacker face to face — so where was my courage or honor? How would I react to real combat?

Where was the commitment from my fellow Marines, when I needed support in the aftermath of the attack? Would they be there for me if I needed their help on the battlefield one day?

Before, during and after the military trial, Rose became the subject of constant taunting by his fellow Marines as his noncommissioned officers had shared the allegations.

Rose eventually resigned from the Marines (“I could no longer wear the uniform of the man who assaulted me”) and accepted a commission in the Army Reserve.

In the years since the incident, Rose - like many men who experience male-on-male sexual assault - found the scars of shame and self-doubt to be the most impactful.

Folks’ refusal to believe that a man could sexually assault another man, plus the mockery by his own officers became the most enduring effects of the ordeal.

Even though Rose doesn’t identify as gay in his essay, LGBT people experience the same effects of shame, doubt and more when sexually assaulted.

According to the Center’s for Disease Control’s National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey:

• 26% of gay men and 37% of bisexual men say they have experienced rape, physical violent or more by an intimate partner

• 44% of lesbians and 61% of bisexual women say they have experienced rape, physical violent or more by an intimate partner

Many LGBTs who experience rape (especially in a dating situation) find it difficult to tell even close friends about the event for fear of not being believed.

I know.

I was the target (I refuse to use the word ‘victim’) of date rape myself back in the early 1990s in New York City. I know exactly how this can happen.

I won’t go into all the details, but I will say what happened was with someone I knew, during the course of a third date.

The person in question invited me to dinner out on Staten Island where he lived.

After dinner we went back to his place and things took an sexual direction, as happens between consenting adults. The attraction was mutual, but soon the guy took a turn and became very aggressive.

Even though I was a strapping, young-30-something who worked out six days a week, he was not only bigger than I, but didn’t hesitate to use pain to restrain me. Extreme pain.

In the moment, after much struggling and using the word "stop" many times, the only thoughts running through my shocked mind were to survive the moment.

The incident went on for about an hour and a half, with him keeping me, and my genitals, in a painful vise grip. Eventually, he fell asleep.

I know most folks would say, “You should have jumped up and left.”

But, by then it was then the middle of the night. I was frightened/stunned out of my mind.

I didn’t know where I was or how to get home to Manhattan’s Upper West Side, AND I was afraid to wake him for fear it would all begin again.

I lay awake the rest of the night keeping an eye on my assailant.

When morning came, he acted as if nothing had happened. It seemed it was all some bondage fantasy that he had indulged in without exploring the issue with me.

When he sensed my tension, he ‘apologized’ saying he didn’t realize I wasn’t ‘into it.’

I found a bus to take me to the Staten Island Ferry and back to Manhattan.

I didn’t have any physical scars but I didn’t share the incident with anyone. Not even my best friends.

When the words would begin to come, all I could feel was the doubt that I hadn’t defended myself enough. That it could have been my own fault.

I know it wasn’t.

A few years later, after I’d met my husband, we encountered the guy in NYC’s West Village in passing. He said ‘hi’ as if nothing had ever happened. But for me, it all came back.

I’m compelled to write this now because Captain Rose’s story reminded me how long that single incident affected me.

I really want folks to know that same-sex, male-on-male assault does, indeed, happen. And no, it’s not your fault.

If you find yourself in a similar situation, I urge you to seek counseling - even if you don’t think you need it. Sometimes, just expressing your thoughts to someone else gets the poison out of you and helps to alleviate some of the sense of shame.

A postscript to Captain Rose’s tale: ten years after his assault, he was contacted by a detective who was putting together a case against his Marine assailant. It turns out the man had gone on to a history of sexual assault and violence.

Rose traveled to Kansas where he once again took the stand to testify against the man.

This time, he was believed and his assailant was convicted, receiving a 49-year prison sentence.

Finally, vindication.

I encourage you to read the full essay at The New York Times here.

And if you or someone you know become the target of sexual assault, one resource to help you is the National Sexual Assault Hotline which can be reached at 1-800-656-4673 24/7 or online at https://ohl.rainn.org/hotlinehttps://ohl.rainn.org/online/.

You can also find more resources at the Human Rights Campaign Sexual Assault webpage.

News Round-Up: July 25, 2018

A few news items you might have missed:

• It's Hump Day - need I say more? (see above)

• Two gay dads were stabbed by their adopted son in Los Angeles, California. #MentalHealthIssues?

• Someone did some serious damage to Donald Trump's star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

• Twin gay models - the Zakar twins - have accused high-end photographer Rick Day of sexual abuse.

In life, find a friend who has always got your back. Luckily, I was born with mine. 🕊

A post shared by Zakar Twins (@zakartwins) on May 4, 2018 at 4:11pm PDT

• Cher just dropped the track list of her upcoming ABBA cover album - check the list below.

SONGS
1.WATERLOO
2.GIMME,GIMME
3.DANCING👑
4.CHIQUITITTA
5. NAME OF THE GAME
6.MOMMA MIA
7. ONE OF US
8.WINNER TAKES IT ALL
9.SOS
10.⁉️

— Cher (@cher) July 25, 2018

• Donald Trump is now turning his attention to booting HIV+ soldiers out of the U.S. military.

• Virulently anti-LGBTQ Family Research Council president Tony Perkins misses the old days when it was illegal to be gay.

3 More Men Come Forward With Allegations Of Sexual Assault By Kevin Spacey

Academy Award winner Kevin Spacey

The allegations of 'inappropriate behavior' by Oscar winner Kevin Spacey continue to pile up as three more men have come forward accusing Spacey of sexual assault.

All three men say the assaults took place in the 1990s in England. Police in the UK are now investigating six different accusations of assault by the actor.

Concurrently, the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office is looking into a 1992 accusation of sexual assault against Spacey.

It was in late October of 2017 that the Academy Award winner's career began to spin out from under him as Star Trek: Discovery actor Anthony Rapp came forward during the surge of the #MeToo movement to accuse Spacey of making a sexual advance to him in the 1980s when Rapp was only 14-years-old.

Almost immediately, a list of other men came forward with their own reports of sexual impropriety.

The 58-year-old actor was released from his starring role on the hit Netflix series House of Cards after several members of the cast and crew raised their own accusations.

It's been announced that the final season of House of Cards will focus on Robin Wright's character of "Claire Underwood." The series recently released this tease.

A message from the President of the United States. pic.twitter.com/yx0P3qyHfW

— House of Cards (@HouseofCards) July 4, 2018

Additionally, Spacey was also edited out of the movie All the Money in the World shortly before it’s release and replaced with Christopher Plummer, who would go on to be nominated for Golden Globe, BAFTA and Academy Awards for his work in the film.

According to reports, Spacey's agent and publicist have severed ties with the actor.