I don't know enough about his personal situation to know whether there is truth to the allegations (some dating back many years, apparently).
We are living in an era where people are finally feeling safer about speaking out, yet we still live in a culture where abuse, misconduct, rape, assault, harassment, misogyny, homophobia, transphobia, etc, are normalized and those committing the misconduct, phobias or crimes, (etc) get away with it.
Despite feeling safer since #metoo, victims still feel unsafe and are unsupported. Those committing these acts still receive light sentences, if they are punished at all, and the victim is still the one "put on trial".
The only way "false accusations" will stop, and the only way informal accusations ("trial by internet" for example) will stop, is if our society faces these issues, sets standards as a society, and properly punishes those committing crimes like rape. By making a society that is more equal, inclusive, and respectful for all of us, and takes crimes like rape and abuse seriously, we will gain a better definition of what "misconduct" is. Even popular slang, like using the word "rapey", turns rape into a diminutive - making it less serious and kind of "funny".
I have no idea if he deserves this. It is, however, rare for people to come forward and lie about this kind of thing and I do not victim blame. I also do not respect those who use fake allegations to take people down because that leads to people taking truthful accusations less seriously.
The method the potential victims used to come forward makes it more difficult to believe them, but we still live in a society where most victims do not come forward. So, I have no opinion of his particular case, either way. I wasn't there. (I will make it clear: I do usually side with the victims until the accused proves his innocence... which is rare.)
While this issue may be different because of the genders of the accusers, it is weird that this forum doesn't have a thread for women to talk about women's issues.i This is the first thread I've seen on this forum about misconduct/rape/assault. It is a very tender topic that is often female-focused,
and we don't have a space on the forum where women can feel safe discussing such topics. I've thought about starting a thread about this, actually, where we could talk about everything from serious topics like this, to the best mascara. Maybe it is time.
