Tag: Sexually

Categories
Health

Six Women File Lawsuits Against USC Claiming the Campus Gynecologist Sexually Abused Them


Six women filed lawsuits against the University of Southern California on Monday, alleging that Dr. George Tyndall—who worked as the campus health clinic’s full-time gynecologist for almost 30 years—”sexually victimized them under the pretext of medical care” with USC’s knowledge, the LA Times reports.

The Times first broke the story last week after a lengthy investigation revealed alleged abuse dating back to the 1990s, when co-workers said he was improperly photographing students’ genitals. There were also complaints alleging the doctor was inserting his fingers into patients’ vaginas improperly and not in the manner typical to a gynecological exam.

More recently, according to the paper, Tyndall’s colleagues feared he was targeting Chinese students less familiar with American medical practices. Tyndall was suspended in 2016, and was allowed to resign with a financial payout last summer, even though an internal USC investigation showed that his “behavior during pelvic exams was outside the scope of current medical practice and amounted to sexual harassment of students.” Patients were not informed and he was not reported to the Medical Board of California.

Tyndall has denied any wrongdoing, telling The Times in interviews that his exams were appropriate. “I’m there to protect the health of Trojan women,” he reportedly said. In January, Tyndall renewed his California medical license.

The university told the Times that “in hindsight,” USC should have reported him. The university did finally file a complaint with the medical board on March 9 after a request by Tyndall to be reinstated.

John Manly, an Orange County lawyer who is representing four of the former patients told the Times, “It doesn’t matter how many people get hurt. It is all about protecting USC’s reputation.” Manly also worked on the case that ended with a $500 million settlement from Michigan State University for former patients of Larry Nassar.

Lucy Chi filed a federal class action suit alleging she was violated in 2012 when Tyndall inserted his fingers into her vagina. Another woman says he also inserted his fingers at the beginning of a pelvic exam and remarked on the tightness of her vaginal muscles. Chi says she realized the behavior was improper after reading the Times’ investigation.

USC Provost Michael Quick issued a letter Monday that apologized to patients, but maintained that the university did not ignore complaints.

“It is true that our system failed, but it is important that you know that this claim of a cover-up is patently false,” Quick wrote. “We would never knowingly put students in harm’s way.”

He says the school’s senior leadership did not learn of complaints against Tyndall until 2017.



Source link

Categories
Health

Rosario Dawson Just Opened Up About Being Sexually Molested as a Child


Luke Cage actress and feminist activist Rosario Dawson has opening up about her experience with sexual molestation as a child on new a podcast. Speaking on Friday’s episode of the Morado Lens show, Dawson recounted to hosts Cindy Rodriguez and Nathalie Farfan how the sexual abuse she went through as a young girl shaped how she perceived Hollywood and how she feels now as the #MeToo movement explodes.

“I was raped and molested as a child, so for me, the world was like that since I was a child,” she said in the devastating revelation. “So when I saw it in the workplace, it wasn’t foreign to me. It was like, well, that even happens within family. It happens with people that are supposed to take care of you when you’re a child.”

Back in October, she had come forward on Twitter under the #MeToo hashtag, though she did not share any specifics of her story in her original tweet.

Dawson has also been vocally involved with the Time’s Up movement, an initiative created by 300 powerful Hollywood women to establish a fund for women who have been experiencing sexual harassment or assault and might not be able to otherwise afford legal help.

On the podcast, she also spoke out about how glad she is that after decades of Hollywood’s stories of sexual misconduct being swept under the rug or avoided, the issue is finally being addressed. “Now we’re in a place where it’s finally like, ‘No, we don’t have to keep passing this on. This is archaic and terrible and destructive. Let’s look at it,” she said. “It’s beautiful. I’m so ready for this moment.”

Related Stories:
–This Is the Woman Who Started the ‘Me Too’ Movement—10 Years Ago
–I’m Ready to Say ‘Me Too’—Now Men Need to Say ‘I’m Sorry’
–Denouncing #MeToo Is Feminism Devouring Itself





Source link

Categories
Health

Sharon Stone Had the Best Reaction When a Man Asked if She'd Ever Been Sexually Harassed


At this point, it’s safe to call Sharon Stone a living Hollywood legend. The actress has appeared in countless critically acclaimed roles and has been working in the entertainment industry for more than 40 years. So her reaction when she was asked by a male reporter if she’d ever experienced sexual harassment in the industry? Totally on point.

She appeared on CBS Sunday to promote her new limited HBO series Mosaic when reporter Lee Cowen asked the question—which, after waves of allegations rocking Hollywood and plethora of #MeToo stories, seems nearly redundant. Stone’s response was to throw her head back laughing.

Cowen followed up her reaction by asking, “You’re laughing but I-I don’t know if that’s a nervous laugh? Or [an] ‘Are you kidding me, of course I was’ laugh.”

After about 10 seconds Stone stopped laughing, and said, “I’ve been in this business for 40 years. Can you imagine the business I stepped into 40 years ago? Looking like I look, from nowhere Pennsylvania? I didn’t come here with any protection. I’ve seen it all.”

This isn’t the first time Stone has spoken out about the rampant sexual harassment in the entertainment industry—or the harassment all women face. During last week’s Golden Globes she wore all black to support the Time’s Up movement. But as she said in her CBS Sunday interview, she feels that women are finally leading the charge to change what is wrong with Hollywood.

“We were raised to accommodate men, particularly in my generation. And women so often lose their own identity to the identity of the men that they’re with,” she said. “We’re starting to acknowledge our own gifts as women and not think that we have to behave as men in order to be empowered or powerful or valuable.”

Watch Stone’s entire interview below:

[embedded content]

Related Content:
–Four Powerful #MeToo Stories Take Center Stage at the ‘Glamour’ Women of the Year Awards
–Denouncing #MeToo Is Feminism Devouring Itself
–Hundreds Turn Out for Take Back the Workplace, #MeToo Demonstrations in Hollywood





Source link

Categories
Health

Simone Biles Says She Was Also Sexually Assaulted by Former Team USA Doctor Larry Nassar


On Monday, the 2016 Rio Olympics four-time gold medalist Simone Biles alleged on Twitter that she too was sexually assaulted by Larry Nassar, a USA Gymnastics team doctor who allegedly attacked more than 130 women, including Team USA Olympian McKayla Maroney and Biles’ fellow “Final Five” Rio teammates Aly Raisman and Gabby Douglas.

In a deeply personal post Biles wrote, “Most of you know me as a happy, giggly and energetic girl. But lately…I’ve felt a bit broken and the more I try to shut off the voice in my head the louder it screams.” She added, “I am not afraid to tell my story anymore.”

Biles wrote that there were many reasons that she was first reluctant to tell her story. “For too long I have asked myself, ‘Was I too naive? Was it my fault?’ I now know the answers to those questions. No. No, it was not my fault. No, I will not and should not carry the guilt that belongs to Larry Nassar, USAG [USA Gymnastics], and others.”

Nassar has already been convicted of both assault and possession of child pornography. Sentencing on his seven sexual assault charges will begin on Tuesday, January 16, when dozens of women will speak out on the stand against him.

“What people need to understand is these aren’t just anonymous people,” Rachael Denhollander, the first woman to come forward and publicly accuse Nassar, told NBC. “These were real little girls, some of them as young as 6 years old,” Denhollander added. “These were real young women who are suffering devastating consequences now, and this could have been avoided.”

As Biles said in the closing of her statement, “We need to know why this was able to take place for so long and to so many of us. We need to make sure something like this never happens again. As I continue to work through the pain, I kindly ask everyone to respect my privacy. This is a process, and one I need more time to work through.”

Related Content:
–Aly Raisman Releases the Letter She Wasn’t Allowed to Read at Larry Nassar’s Trial
–McKayla Maroney Claims USA Gymnastics Tried to Silence Her Claims of Abuse Against Former Team Doctor
–Gabby Douglas Says She Too Was Abused By Doctor Larry Nassar





Source link

Categories
Health

Rebel Wilson Says She Was Sexually Harassed By a Famous Actor


In the wake of the Harvey Weinstein allegations, women have stepped forward to share their stories of sexual misconduct, harassment, and assault at the hands of some of Hollywood’s most influential men. Now, actress and comedian Rebel Wilson is speaking out about her #MeToo experience. On Saturday morning, Wilson posted a series of tweets detailing two incidents of sexual harassment. In her allegations, Wilson didn’t name names, but the stories she recounted were harrowing.

“I’ve been away in a ‘bubble’ of sorts creating new comedy overseas but it’s so hard to hear all these stories relating to sexual harassment and assault in Hollywood,” she began. “As you guys know, I’m a pretty strong and confident person but even I have a story to tell.”

The first incident, she says, involved a “male star in a position of power” who tried to coerce to put her finger “up his ass” while some of his friends filmed. After repeatedly telling him no and reporting him to the studio, she says she later received a call back from studio reps asking her to “be nice and support” the actor in his career—which speaks to the potential professional repercussions of being a woman who calls out sexual misconduct. She declined and has since told the story to others in the industry through the whisper network to warn them.

Then she went on to detail the other incident, involving a meeting in a hotel room with a “top director” in Hollywood. When she arrived, however, his wife called and started yelling at him for sleeping with actresses. Wilson overheard and was able to run out of the room before anything happened.

“I feel lucky that I grew up in a pro-female environment, going to an all-girls high school, and that I have such a strong sense of self and have taken self-defense classes,” she added. (It’s important to point out, however, that a strong sense of self has no correlation to whether you can be a victim of sexual harassment or assault.)

Wilson continued on a sobering note: “I had the ability to escape both incidents. I realize not everyone is as lucky.”

She ended her tweets by saying what she’ll be doing going forward—should she ever find herself in a similar situation again. “I know, moving forward, that if I witness this behavior, whether it happens to me or someone I know, I will no longer be POLITE,” she ended her tweets. “Interpret that as you will.”

Related Stories:
–Activist Tarana Burke Started the ‘Me Too’ Movement 10 Years Ago
–’30 Rock’ Called Out Harvey Weinstein Five Years Ago
–A Second Woman Has Accused Ed Westwick of Sexual Assault





Source link

Categories
Health

Ellen Page Says Brett Ratner Sexually Harassed and Outed Her


In a powerful Facebook post calling out abuse in Hollywood, actress Ellen Page has accused director Brett Ratner of sexually harassing and outing her on the set of X-Men: The Last Stand.

“‘You should fuck her to make her realize she’s gay,'” she wrote. “[Ratner] said this about me during a cast and crew ‘meet and greet’ before we began filming, X Men: The Last Stand. I was eighteen years old. He looked at a woman standing next to me, ten years my senior, pointed to me and said: ‘You should fuck her to make her realize she’s gay.'”

Ellen said that no one, including herself, said anything at the time. But the alleged outing (a homophobic act when done without someone’s permission), she wrote, has left her “with long standing feelings of shame, one of the most destructive results of homophobia.” “Making someone feel ashamed of who they are is a cruel manipulation, designed to oppress and repress,” she wrote. “I was robbed of more than autonomy over my ability to define myself. Ratner’s comment replayed in my mind many times over the years as I encountered homophobia and coped with feelings of reluctance and uncertainty about the industry and my future in it.”

The alleged incident took place toward the beginning of Ellen’s career. But now that she has considerably more fame and influence, Ellen said she intends to take a stand against such behavior. “The difference is that I can now assert myself and use my voice to to fight back against the insidious queer and transphobic attitude in Hollywood and beyond,” she continued. “Hopefully having the position I have, I can help people who may be struggling to be accepted and allowed to be who they are –to thrive. Vulnerable young people without my advantages are so often diminished and made to feel they have no options for living the life they were meant to joyously lead.”

In the post, Ellen revealed more details of Ratner’s alleged abuse of power, including “saying degrading things to women” and trying to intimidate her when she refused to wear a T-shirt that said “Team Ratner.” She also shared alleged experiences of sexual harassment and assault by others in the industry. When she was 16, she says she was sexually assaulted by a grip, fondled on her leg by a director, and then asked by a director to sleep with a man in his 20s and “tell them” about the experience, which she says she refused to do.

Ellen used the rest of the post to call out the insidiousness and ubiquity of sexual abuse in both Hollywood and society, before reminding us that low-income, trans, queer, and/or indigenous women, as well as women of color, are disproportionally victimized. She also credited these women with leading the fight against systemic violence against women, naming Marsha P. Johnson, Sylvia Rivera, Winona LaDuke, Miss Major, Audre Lorde, bell hooks, and Misty Upham.

As more victims of sexual harassment and assault speak out, Ellen says she hopes abusers will face consequences and societal changes will be made to keep them from hurting people further. “I want to see these men have to face what they have done,” she wrote. “I want them to not have power anymore. I want them to sit and think about who they are without their lawyers, their millions, their fancy cars, houses upon houses, their ‘playboy’ status and swagger.”

“What I want the most, is for this to result in healing for the victims,” she continued. “For Hollywood to wake up and start taking some responsibility for how we all have played a role in this. I want us to reflect on this endemic issue and how this power dynamic of abuse leads to an enormous amount of suffering.”

Ellen concluded the post by telling us not to let the amount of victims speaking out to “numb” us to the issue. “Don’t allow this behavior to be normalized. Don’t compare wrongs or criminal acts by their degrees of severity. Don’t allow yourselves to be numb to the voices of victims coming forward,” she said. “Don’t stop demanding our civil rights. I am grateful to anyone and everyone who speaks out against abuse and trauma they have suffered. You are breaking the silence. You are revolution.”

MORE:__ Ed Westwick Accused of Sexual Assault by a Second Woman



Source link