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todaybharatnews · 5 years

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via Today Bharat nbsp; In cases of sexual violence, power is a big factor at play. And unless we realise how this power plays out in everyday situations, we can keep harping ndash; ldquo;Oh but why didnrsquo;t she speak sooner.rdquo; Nandhini* was on the lookout for a job in 2009, when she made the acquaintance of a senior journalist in Hyderabad. The man was a big name in news television and told her that he would help her with leads. The news that Nandhini had outed a predator in the organisation where she was working had spread, and the then-21-year-old was desperately looking to get a new job as the environment in the newspaper she worked with was getting uncomfortable. The senior television journalist added her on Facebook, praised her courage for outing her predator, and on the pretext of setting up a meeting with his wife ndash; also a senior journalist ndash; he took her to his house and sexually assaulted her. ldquo;When we went up to his house though, I realised that the door was locked. I got uncomfortable and said I will come back later. He said his wife must have stepped out to pick up their daughter, and asked me to come in and sit down. This man then went into the kitchen to get some water. When he came out, he had unzipped himself and had his penis out. I was frozen, shocked and scared, and got up to leave. He held my hand pushed me down on the sofa and forced me to give him a blow job, even as I was crying,rdquo; Nandhini says, ldquo;He then threw a box of tissues on me, asked me to clean up and get out of the house.rdquo; ldquo;When the incident happened a decade ago, I was too shaken and shocked to process it. All I felt was shame,rdquo; Nandhini tells TNM, ldquo;Since I had just gone through the trauma of being harassed at my then workplace and being stigmatised for having raised my voice, I felt that if I spoke up about the assault I would be shamed again.rdquo; The journalist who assaulted her also made her believe that no one would trust her if she spoke up. ldquo;He told me no one would believe me because many in the media circles thought I was lsquo;offrsquo;. I guess I believed that and didn't want to put myself through another round of being stigmatised, so I did not reveal what happened to anyone,rdquo; she says. ldquo;I thought this was the best thing to do for self-preservation. Now I know it's this culture of silence that allows men to get away with impunity and predatory behaviour,rdquo; Nandhini says, days after she spoke up about the assault for the first time in a #MeToo post. In the last decade, the journalist ndash; and his wife ndash; have only grown more powerful in the industry, and while she has heard whispers of his misconduct with other women, he has not faced any repercussions for his behaviour so far, she says. Like Nandhini, many women who face sexual abuse, assault, and harassment donrsquo;t report it or speak up about it immediately after it happens for many reasons. In many cases, there is a power differential between the survivor and the perpetrator; survivors risk losing their livelihood if their perpetrator is a powerful man in the same industry, and for many women, redressal mechanisms are not immediately apparent. Reason 1: lsquo;Good girls stay quietrsquo;Singer Chinmayi, who has accused prominent Tamil lyricist Vairamuthu of misbehaving with her, says there is a conspiracy of silence that women are forced to follow. ldquo;When it first happened, I told my mother about it ndash; and in the course of several years after that, I have told some other people too about how he misbehaved with me; so in these discussions, others have told me that he has behaved inappropriately with them as well ndash; but wersquo;re in a culture where women are told to not speak out about these things,rdquo; Chinmayi tells TNM. ldquo;Maximum ndash; we share with our lsquo;girl gangsrsquo; about who is a pervert. That women must take care of themselves around certain men. Wersquo;re not in a society where we are encouraged to speak up about sexual harassment,rdquo; she adds. ldquo;We are conditioned from childhood to hush up when something bad happens,rdquo; Nandhini says, ldquo;An uncle touches you inappropriately and you tell your parents, and parents hush you up. They either don't believe you, or believe you and worry too much about you being tagged lsquo;violatedrsquo;. In schools too, there is very little conversation on consent, safe touch, unsafe touch ndash; and somehow, girls and women are brought up to carry the burden of shame that isn't theirs.rdquo; Reason 2: lsquo;No real mechanisms for redressalrsquo;Veteran Bollywood writer-producer Vinta Nanda, who recently accused actor Alok Nath of rape 19 years ago, tells TNM that when the crime happened, such behaviour was so normalised there was rarely a question of seeking redressal. ldquo;It was not considered lsquo;wrongrsquo; anyway, so what will you go and report?rdquo; she asks, ldquo;Now there is a provision for ICCs (Internal Complaints Committees for sexual harassment) ndash; back then there were no platforms for redressal. So, who would I go to?rdquo; Going to the court, Vinta says, is a process that not many women can afford ndash; both financially and in terms of time. ldquo;Itrsquo;s only in the last month that ICCs are being set up in the film industry. Before there were ICCs, where could we go? Going to court would take our life away. I did not feel empowered to speak up 20 years ago,rdquo; she says. Reason 3: lsquo;When the man is powerful, no one believes yoursquo;ldquo;More than anything else, the man who misbehaved with me was very powerful,rdquo; says Chinmayi, ldquo;so there was fear.rdquo; ldquo;In many cases, coming out means losing all the support you have, if the man yoursquo;re accusing is powerful,rdquo; Vinta explains. In Nandhinirsquo;s case, the man in question has already displayed how he will react when someone accuses him. ldquo;When another woman came out with her #MeToo story about him, his wife decided to intimidate her, and he decided to shame her in a statement,rdquo; Nandhini says, explaining why she has chosen to not reveal her identity. The day she made her #MeToo statement was the first time Nandhini spoke out about the assault to anyone ndash; the first instance she has acknowledged the assault. ldquo;Reliving my trauma is difficult enough,rdquo; she explains. Reason 4: Layers of oppressionNandhini says that among the many disgusting things the senior journalist said when he assaulted her, was, ldquo;Glad you were upper caste, no way I would let anyone else touch my penis.rdquo; The very fact that most of the voices that have been heard in this wave of the #MeToo movement in India points to how much more difficult it is for marginalised women, men, and non-binary folks to speak up. As former Miss India and actor Niharika Singh said in her #MeToo statement, shared by journalist Sandhya Menon, ldquo;Violence against women may be a common feature faced by all women in India, but there is no denying the fact that certain kinds of violence are customarily reserved solely for Dalit women. More so for those who assert themselves and reject caste and patriarchal domination. While crimes against upper caste women are taken seriously and elicit more empathy, violation of rights of Dalit women and the injustice meted out to us has an excruciating long history. Statistics show that crimes against Dalits have risen by 746% in the last one decade. A Dalit atrocity is committed every 15 minutes and six Dalit women are raped every day. Most cases are neither registered nor acted upon and the perpetrators go scot-free.rdquo; The way forwardldquo;When people ask why women donrsquo;t speak up, or why women donrsquo;t speak up sooner ndash; I think that question can only be asked after you make the society safe for women,rdquo; Vinta says, ldquo;Me Too has brought the discussion about sexual violence into the mainstream, and has brought men into the discussion as well. Therersquo;s a tectonic shift in the discourse.rdquo; ldquo;We need to create safe spaces for everyone ndash; whether they have support systems in their industry or they are outsiders. Only then can women feel empowered to speak out and seek justice,rdquo; she adds. Chinmayi says that itrsquo;s only when there is more dialogue that people will feel confident about speaking out. ldquo;We as a society are in a constant state of denial that something like this can even happen,rdquo; she says, ldquo;We need to understand that itrsquo;s possible that an extremely talented individual could also be a sexual predator. Itrsquo;s possible that someone whorsquo;s work we have really loved is a sexual predator. We, as a society, need to figure out how wersquo;re going to treat someone whose work we love, admire and respect ndash; but the man has personal failings.rdquo; ldquo;If the culture of silence needs to stop, then hear us survivors out. Without shaming us. Without judging us,rdquo; says Nandhini. Most importantly, we need to dismantle power structures that enable such sexual violence, as Niharika Singh said. ldquo;Itrsquo;s time to realize that the pompous, neoliberal, savarna feminism is not going to liberate anyone. Unless the Savarna feminists dismantle the same power structures from which they have benefitted, women in this country will continue to be gaslit, exploited and maligned; their dreams thwarted, voices silenced, bodies assaulted and histories erased. The selective outrage of the supposed lsquo;liberalsrsquo; and lsquo;Indian leftistsrsquo; benefits only their convenience, and we most note that it finally took a Dalit student, Raya Sarkar in academia and a beauty pageant winner, Tanushree Dutta, to burst the Bollywood bubble while they silently looked on for years.rdquo; nbsp;

#IFTTT #Today Bharat

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trendingnewsb · 6 years

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Why It’s Harder To Take Down Sex Abusers In Washington Than In Hollywood

Over the last month, Harvey Weinstein, Louis C.K., Kevin Spacey and other influential men in the entertainment industry have seen their careers all but destroyed because of reports detailing serial sexual predation.

While it took years to corroborate what had been open secrets, once the stories of those men went public, the consequences were swift: movies and television shows canceled, awards and honors rescinded.

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, the voting body for the Oscars, held an emergency meeting to expel Weinstein — striking action from an institution that usually moves at a glacial pace.

Yet as politicians (of both political parties) face accusations of sexual misconduct, it has been much rarer for them to face such dramatic consequences, if any at all.

Perhaps the starkest example of this discrepancy came after the release of the infamous “Access Hollywood” tape last October: Host Billy Bush was fired from his job at NBC’s “Today” show, while reality TV star-turned-GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump — who boasted on the tape that “when you are a star, they let you do it. You can do anything” — was elected president of the United States.

Voters are not going to the ballot thinking that the problem of sexual predatory behavior is one that should influence their vote, and that’s where our real work lies.” Noreen Farrell, executive director of Equal Rights Advocates

So why has the political realm proved less willing to hand out moral payback? In part because political and ideological stakes are involved.

Voters who choose to overlook moral transgressions do so out of “political calculus” and “expediency,” according to Ellen Bravo, a longtime activist for policies helping women in the workplace.

“Even it it’s true, we have too much to gain by having that person in, and so we’ll put up with it,” she said of voters weighing sexual harassment allegations against their favored candidates.

Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey (R) recently admitted that politics was the key factor in her decision on how handle the scandal that’s erupted in her state’s U.S. Senate election. Even though candidate Roy Moore has faced accusations of sexual misconduct from nearly 10 women, Ivey said she still backs him because ultimately, it’s important that he is a member of the Republican Party.

“I believe in the Republican Party, what we stand for, and most important, we need to have a Republican in the United States Senate to vote on things like Supreme Court justices, other appointments the Senate has to confirm, and make major decisions,” Ivey said.

Jonathan Bachman via Getty Images

GOP Senate candidate Roy Moore has denied multiple allegations that he preyed on teenage girls by portraying those accusations as a partisan attack.

People are also more likely to dismiss sexual assault survivors if they see their accusations as partisan, said Caroline Heldman, professor of politics at Occidental College. And that is much easier if the accused is already a partisan figure, like a politician.

The accusers are assessed “through the lens of partisanship,” Heldman said, “as in, ‘Oh, maybe this is just a woman from the Republican Party who’s going after a Democrat.’”

Moore has played on this tendency, characterizing the allegations against him as a conspiracy.

“For many of his supporters, they view it as just being a partisan attack, which allows complete dismissal of multiple survivors coming forward, from different periods of time, telling the exact same story or similar stories,” Heldman said.

There are fewer means for holding lawmakers accountable.

Other dynamics that make it harder to punish alleged sexual harassers in politics go beyond the voters’ immediate considerations.

For one, there are more individual entities in private industry with the power to take decisive action.

“The pressure points there come from employees, come from customers, and should come from a board and from shareholders,” said Fatima Goss Graves, president and CEO of the National Women’s Law Center. “There are a range of people who have a vested interest in a company getting it right.”

In the case of Weinstein, the board of his production company removed him from his post and sold off or shelved the company’s upcoming movies. The distributors of Louis C.K.’s latest movie scrapped plans for its release, and HBO removed his comedy specials from its website.

If the powers that be within Hollywood see these dynamics hurting their investments and/or causing them some very serious liability issues, then people will get fired. Vanessa Tyson, assistant professor of politics at Scripps College

“The burden just isn’t as steep when it comes to toppling a sexual predator in Hollywood,” said Noreen Farrell, executive director of Equal Rights Advocates, a legal organization focusing on gender equality. “Bad PR generated by a few complaints can be enough to damage a celebrity permanently. And the industry has other tools to oust sexual predators, and justice can be served by the few in charge of those tools, like the producer of a show cancels it rather than feature a predator or the academy, which has control over its membership.”

Contrast that with the options for punishing lawmakers.

“The rules are very, very limited for holding members of the House or the Senate accountable and non-existent for the presidency, essentially, unless there’s some criminal investigation or charges,” Heldman said.

To report sexual harassment on Capitol Hill, lawmakers and staffers must go through a byzantine system that offers little transparency or recourse for accusers.

“Congress right now is in the business of policing itself,” Goss Graves said. “There isn’t really another body that’s an effective counter to what’s happening.”

Farrell said it isn’t a coincidence that “politicians make it hard for people to complain about them.”

“It’s made arduous by design,” she said. “This is the fox guarding the henhouse.”

The fear of economic consequences can push a private company to take quick action against harassers.

“If the powers that be within Hollywood see these dynamics hurting their investments and/or causing them some very serious liability issues, then people will get fired and can get fired,” said Vanessa Tyson, assistant professor of politics at Scripps College. “I don’t know that this, for instance, changes the hearts or minds of any number of executives that may have misogynist tendencies, but a lot of social movements have been able to demonstrate over time that speaking with your pocketbook, that hitting power with your pocketbook can achieve certain gains.”

By contrast, with lawmakers, the only concrete action that individuals outside Congress can take is through elections, which Heldman pointed out is an “imperfect mechanism” because it “doesn’t lend itself to immediate response.”

In other words, if Trump had faced accusations of sexual assault while he was still the host of “The Apprentice,” he might have faced swifter and harsher punishment than he did as a presidential candidate.

Famous accusers can expedite the process of taking claims seriously.

Farrell referred to Weinstein as “a convenient fall guy when it comes to talking about sexual predators,” because the number and nature of his accusers, who included A-list actresses like Gwyneth Paltrow and Angelina Jolie, “helped elevate the issue” and “move beyond the question of whether it happened to why it happened and the broader system.”

Of the accusations, Farrell said, “it was very clear that many knew them to be true, and his board knew them to be true,” in part because of the level of fame involved.

Bravo similarly noted that celebrity status can reduce attacks on accusers’ credibility. “They have a high-profile, visible position and a fan base that makes it hard to discredit them,” she said.

Bob Riha Jr. via Getty Images

Harvey Weinstein and Gwyneth Paltrow celebrated at the Oscars in 1999, when “Shakespeare in Love” took Best Picture and Paltrow took Best Actress.

As a group, the women accusing politicians of sexual assault and harassment are simply not as famous as movie stars, and many had no significant public profile before they came forward.

“I actually think if famous white actresses had come forward and accused Donald Trump, that things would have gone differently,” Heldman said. “If Gwyneth Paltrow comes forward, I think most Americans are more likely to believe that it happened than if a nobody comes forward.”

In one key aspect, however, the situations in entertainment and politics may not be that different.

“Both in Congress and in Hollywood, you see processes where institutions are protecting the institutions themselves, certainly not protecting those who have been victimized by sexual predators and predatory behavior,” Tyson said.

While men like Weinstein have suffered direct consequences, they may yet make career comebacks, as society tends to be forgiving of men’s transgressions.

The men being punished now might just be “sacrificial lambs,” Heldman cautioned, rather than catalysts for significant, long-term change in Hollywood.

“There’s some action being taken, although my guess is that these men will work in the industry again,” she said. “Woody Allen and Roman Polanski have been working in the industry for decades, with very serious allegations, so I’m not entirely sure if there’s a big difference.”

Mike Blake/Reuters

Less than a decade after going on an anti-Semitic rant at a police officer, and later being caught abusing his then-girlfriend, actor and director Mel Gibson received an Oscar nomination.

A common theme in sexual harassment stories across industries is women being forced out of their jobs and denied opportunities for advancement, which Tyson said is “part of the economic oppression of women.”

“That is such a massive amount of human capital that is essentially leaving these industries where they could make a profound difference, but they are being driven out in various ways, either by misogynists or by people who are unwilling to stand up to [the misogynists],” she said.

Farrell described the fact that politicians face relatively few consequences for sexual misconduct as “a really good barometer on how far we have to go” in raising awareness of the broader issue.

“We’ve seen really good progress, really great outrage, in response to complaints, but the fact that politicians march on is an indication of how far we have to go in this country to really have the cultural shift we need to oust predators,” she said. “Voters are not going to the ballot thinking that the problem of sexual predatory behavior is one that should influence their vote, and that’s where our real work lies.”

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everettwilkinson · 6 years

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BUCKLE UP: A crazy December is ahead — WH wants 44B more in disaster aid — TRUMP on ‘Frankenstien’: ‘Where do his hands go in pictures 2, 3, 4, 5 & 6 while she sleeps?’ — MATT BRAVO to S-3 – B’DAY: Jarrod Agen

BET YOU’LL HEAR ABOUT THIS TODAY — BULLETIN at 5:06 a.m.: “BAGHDAD (AP) – Ministry of Defense says Iraqi forces backed by U.S.-led coalition liberate last Iraqi town held by Islamic State group.”

Good Friday morning. YES, THAT WAS A BIG WIN YESTERDAY FOR HOUSE REPUBLICANS. But don’t get too comfy. DECEMBER is going to be really, really, really brutal. Spending caps deal. Government funding. Potential legislation to deal with the expiration of DACA. Action to prop up the health care law. And now, we hear that THE DEBT CEILING could be part of the mix in the final month of the year, as well. Treasury says Congress has until January to lift the debt limit, but some say if Congress is going to slap together a big package, the debt limit might as well be included. No one really wants to raise the debt limit in an election year, anyway. But the negotiations have to be going really well for the debt limit to be included. It’s not a must-pass at the end of the year, and it could just as easily slip to 2018. In other words, Republicans tell us they won’t let the debt limit be a bargaining chip for Democrats who are trying to get a DACA deal.

Story Continued Below

WE ALSO HEAR Congress will pass a short-term government funding bill in time for the Dec. 8 deadline, kicking the deadline toward the end of the month in time for a large spending deal. OH YEAH — THE WHITE HOUSE has made it clear they want tax reform done in December as well. Whoever wins the Alabama Senate race will join the chamber toward the end of December, too. THIS COULD EASILY BE the most consequential legislative month in years.

BASICALLY, what we’re trying to tell you is don’t make plans you absolutely can’t cancel.

**SUBSCRIBE to Playbook: http://politi.co/2lQswbh

THE TAX REFORM TIMELINE — PROGRESS FOR THE GOP — The Senate Finance Committee approved its overhaul of the tax code last night along party lines 14-12. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is expected to put the bill on the floor after the Thanksgiving break.

— COINCIDENTALLY, last night was TAX PROM — an annual get together of all the tax policy wonks in town. Vice President Mike Pence attended.

MORE DISASTER FUNDING NEEDED — “White House seeks at least $44 billion in third disaster request,” by John Bresnahan, Seung Min Kim and Sarah Ferris: “The White House will ask Congress on Friday to approve at least $44 billion to help storm-ravaged communities in Texas, Puerto Rico and Florida, according to three sources privy to the request. It would mark the third aid installment in three months. Congress has already approved $52 billion in response to the spate of hurricanes that killed 260 people and caused hundreds of billions of dollars in damage.

“The latest request falls short of what local officials had sought for their recovery, though the White House is expected to send additional aid proposals in the coming months. Texas had asked for $61 billion for reconstruction, and Puerto Rico has sought $96 billion.” http://politi.co/2zPri3G

NEXT POLICY MOVE AFTER TAX REFORM, per Nancy Cook … The White House “is overhauling the welfare system through an executive order. The Deputy Director of the White House’s Domestic Policy Council, Paul Winfree, laid out the argument for this idea during a panel at the Heritage Foundation on Thursday morning. Winfree said that tweaking the welfare system very much excited President Trump. Already Winfree and another member of the Domestic Policy Council had drafted the order, which would give states more flexibility in structuring their welfare programs and direct federal agencies to make regulatory changes.

‘The president wants to lead on this,’ Winfree told the audience. ‘We are devoting lots of resources to it.’ POLITICO’s Andrew Restuccia wrote back in October that the White House was considering an executive order that would instruct federal agencies to review low-income assistance programs.”

— PER STEVEN OVERLY: “AT&T has hired attorney Daniel Petrocelli, who once represented President Donald Trump, in preparation for a potential legal battle with the DOJ over the company’s mega-merger with Time Warner, an AT&T spokesman confirmed to POLITICO. Based in Los Angeles, Petrocelli currently leads the trial practice at O’Melveny and Myers. He defended the president in the lawsuits over the Trump University real estate seminar program.”

PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP on SEN. AL FRANKEN (D-MINN.) — @realDonaldTrump at 10:06 p.m.: “The Al Frankenstien picture is really bad, speaks a thousand words. Where do his hands go in pictures 2, 3, 4, 5 & 6 while she sleeps? …..” … at 10:15 p.m.: “.And to think that just last week he was lecturing anyone who would listen about sexual harassment and respect for women. Lesley Stahl tape?”

— Lesley Stahl? WaPo: “The ‘Lesley Stahl tape’ Trump mentioned in his second tweet refers to a [1995] New York Magazine story about a ‘Saturday Night Live’ writers discussion where Franken suggests a joke about raping Lesley Stahl, a ‘60 Minutes’ correspondent.

“Franken is quoted in New York Magazine as saying: ‘And, “I give the pills to Lesley Stahl. Then, when Lesley’s passed out, I take her to the closet and rape her.” Or, “That’s why you never see Lesley until February.” Or, ‘When she passes out, I put her in various positions and take pictures of her.’” http://wapo.st/2j3Mfjh … The NYMag story http://nym.ag/2hxUrIj

— TRUMP still has not weighed in on the allegations against Roy Moore. (By the way: “Poll: Moore trails Jones in Alabama Senate race,” by Steven Shepard. http://politi.co/2zPkJhs)

THE NEW WORLD ORDER — “Capitol Hill consumed by sexual harassment issue,” by Elana Schor, Seung Min Kim and Kevin Robillard: “The national conversation about sexual harassment has hit the clubby halls of the Capitol with a vengeance. Democrats faced their own internal reckoning on Thursday when Sen. Al Franken (D-Minn.) apologized to a radio anchor who said he forcibly kissed and groped her in 2006. Once a potential presidential hopeful, Franken quickly submitted to an ethics committee investigation.

“The Franken bombshell came amid a deluge of news coverage in recent days of Alabama Senate Roy Moore, accused of harassing or sexually assaulting multiple young women. Earlier Thursday, the chief of staff to a House lawmaker leading the charge against sexual harassment in Congress resigned in the face of sexual misconduct allegations by former aides. And earlier this week, a pair of female lawmakers said there are several current members of Congress who have sexually harassed women.

“On a day when the House passed the most far-reaching tax bill in decades, and when jurors in New Jersey deadlocked in a corruption trial involving a sitting senator, Robert Menendez, Capitol Hill was consumed instead by the issue of sexual harassment. And it prompted a rare bout of soul-searching in an institution not exactly known for that. Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), a leading advocate for Congress’ recent shift from voluntary to mandatory sexual harassment training, said it was depressing that such a move was even necessary. ‘That’s a sad commentary, you know, that you have to do it,’ Grassley told reporters.” http://politi.co/2hE6sQ7

— “Gillibrand Says Bill Clinton Should Have Resigned Over Lewinsky Affair,” by NYT’s Jennifer Steinhauer: “Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, Democrat of New York, who holds Hillary Clinton’s former seat, said on Thursday that Bill Clinton should have resigned the presidency after his inappropriate relationship with an intern came to light nearly 20 years ago. Asked directly if she believed Mr. Clinton should have stepped down at the time, Ms. Gillibrand took a long pause and said, ‘Yes, I think that is the appropriate response.’ But she also appeared to signal that what is currently considered a fireable offense may have been more often overlooked during the Clinton era.” http://nyti.ms/2AOfjTb

— MATT DIXON and MARC CAPUTO in Tallahassee: “Six former Florida Democratic Party staffers and consultants say that current party chairman Stephen Bittel has created an unprofessional workplace environment for women that includes persistent inappropriate comments, leering at young women and even inviting them on his private jet. The women, who were reached independently by POLITICO Florida and insisted on anonymity out of fear for their jobs, said Bittel never inappropriately touched or threatened them.

“But he made them feel so uneasy that they didn’t want to be alone with him due to his body language, suggestive remarks and even the breast-shaped stress squeeze-ball he has been known to keep on his desk. Depending on the circumstance and the person discussing Bittel, they said he would make references about women cooking dinner, showing their breasts, their age, whether they wanted to ride on his plane, come to his hotel room or if they thought he was attractive. ‘There was a lot of boob stuff in his office,’ said a woman who was a fundraiser years ago and had to interact with him. ‘I was told by other women not to go into his bathroom. I was warned.’” http://politi.co/2iqwHXt

HILLARY CLINTON talks sexual harassment with NowThis http://bit.ly/2hxEmCm

****** A message from Chevron: When an endangered butterfly was found near a Chevron refinery, we protected the habitat and still plant the only thing they eat—buckwheat. Watch the video: http://politi.co/2ArIBXv ******

JOSH DAWSEY in TRENTON: “Regrets? Chris Christie Has a Few”: “Chris Christie had some thoughts on how I should write this article. ‘You should break out of leading with ‘the most unpopular governor in galactic history’ and all this other shit that everybody hits F2, F3, F4 [on and] bang, bang, bang, the paragraphs flip in,’ the outgoing New Jersey governor said on a recent afternoon, tapping his conference room table like a keyboard. ‘You should do something different.’ …

“In the longest interview Christie has given in years, as he dropped oyster crackers into a large vat of chili, he said the story of his rise and fall had not been told accurately. He was never as good as depicted—nor as bad. ‘I never felt 78, and I don’t feel the 22,’ he said of his approval ratings. ‘What I hope at the end of the day is that this really is about my eight years, and the bridge stuff is part of that, and the Trump stuff is part of that, but it’s only a part.’” http://politi.co/2zJixuf

— FUN: “Christie’s generous interpretation of Trump’s treatment of him even extends to his own ouster. Two days after Trump’s surprise win, Steve Bannon and Christie were seen arguing for several hours in a glass office in the transition headquarters in New York. Bannon was firing him as chair of the transition, and Christie wasn’t taking the news well. He wanted to know who was behind it, and he suspected Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, whose father he had prosecuted as U.S. attorney.

“‘Oh, I asked,’ Christie said, referring to Bannon. ‘He didn’t answer. But [based on] subsequent conversations I’ve had with the president, I just don’t believe this was the president’s decision.’ Aides later threw his transition materials in wastebaskets.

“Christie … insists he holds no grudges. He said the president had made a smart decision to get rid of some aides — he named Bannon and Reince Priebus — and said others would be soon to go. Chief of staff John Kelly, he said, was doing much better. He declined to take a shot at Kushner when asked about the Trump son-in-law’s diminished White House role. ‘I would never underestimate Jared’s ability to be involved in whatever he wants to do be involved in,’ Christie said.”

JOHN BRESNAHAN — “Menendez faces Senate ethics probe after mistrial”: “The Senate Ethics Committee will resume its investigation into Sen. Bob Menendez, a move that came just hours after a mistrial was announced in the New Jersey Democrat’s bribery and corruption case. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) had called for an ethics probe of Menendez as soon as a mistrial was declared by U.S. District Judge William Walls. The deadlock in the criminal proceedings was a huge legal victory for Menendez, who grew emotional as he spoke about the case with reporters.

“With incoming New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy (D) and other top state officials pledging their loyalty to him — and Menendez suddenly looking like an incumbent ready to announce his reelection rather than a criminal defendant trying to avoid prison — the ethics probe means Menendez will still have this case still hanging over him well into 2018.” http://politi.co/2j1yxxh

RUSSIA WATCH — “Special Counsel Mueller Issued Subpoena for Russia-Related Documents From Trump Campaign Officials,” by WSJ’s Rebecca Ballhaus and Peter Nicholas: “Special counsel Robert Mueller’s team in mid-October issued a subpoena to President Donald Trump’s campaign requesting Russia-related documents from more than a dozen top officials, according to a person familiar with the matter. The subpoena, which requested documents and emails from the listed campaign officials that reference a set of Russia-related keywords, marked Mr. Mueller’s first official order for information from the campaign … The subpoena caught the campaign by surprise.” http://on.wsj.com/2zHZQHw

— “Does cooperating witness have info on Flynn tie to Turkey?” by NBC News’ Tom Winter and Julia Ainsley: “A gold trader who is close to Turkish President Recep Erdogan is now cooperating with federal prosecutors in a money-laundering case, according to two sources with knowledge of the matter, and legal experts say prosecutors may be seeking information about any ties between the Turkish government and former National Security Advisor Mike Flynn. Reza Zarrab, a dual Turkish-Iranian national … is now out of jail and speaking to prosecutors — a move President Erdogan had been desperately hoping to avoid.” http://nbcnews.to/2j0Gov2

HMM … — “Papadopoulos claimed Trump phone call and larger campaign role,” by Josh Meyer: “George Papadopoulos claimed last year that Donald Trump telephoned him to discuss his new position as a foreign policy adviser to his presidential campaign and that the two had at least one personal introductory meeting that the White House has not acknowledged. Papadopoulos also claimed that he’d been given a ‘blank check’ to choose a senior Trump administration job and authorized to represent the candidate in overseas meetings with foreign leaders, and at a campaign event in New York.” http://politi.co/2hBj2fb

TELL US MORE! — “Russian ambassador says he won’t name all the Trump officials he’s met with because ‘the list is so long,’” by CNBC’s Tucker Higgins: “Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak said on Wednesday that it would take him more than 20 minutes to name all of the Trump officials he’s met with or spoken to on the phone. ‘First, I’m never going to do that,’ he said. ‘And second, the list is so long that I’m not going to be able to go through it in 20 minutes.’ Kislyak made the remarks in a sprawling interview with Russia-1, a popular state-owned Russian television channel.” http://cnb.cx/2zPkSl0

GREAT REPORTING — “The Questionable Math Behind Manafort’s Extravagant Home Renovations,” by Bloomberg’s Polly Mosendz, Patrick Clark and Michael Smith: “The federal indictment of Paul Manafort, President Donald Trump’s former campaign chairman, accuses him of laundering millions in foreign payments to pursue a ‘lavish lifestyle’ in the U.S., especially in the Hamptons, where he has a house. What it doesn’t explain — or highlight — are the stratospheric payments he made to home improvement companies when his renovation work was estimated at far less.

“Special Counsel Robert Mueller, in his indictment, says that a Hamptons firm got $5.4 million in wire transfers from Cyprus over 71 payments. But building permits over the same period examined by Bloomberg show that renovations by Manafort’s Hamptons’ contractor were estimated to cost $1.2 million. That’s less than a quarter of what was ultimately sent — an apparent discrepancy that could draw scrutiny from investigators.” https://bloom.bg/2hyXShM

JARED UPDATE — “Kushner got emails about WikiLeaks, Russia in 2016, lawmakers say,” by Kyle Cheney: “Jared Kushner received emails in September 2016 about WikiLeaks and about a ‘Russian backdoor overture and dinner invite’ and forwarded them to another campaign official, according to a letter to his attorney from the bipartisan leaders of the Senate Judiciary Committee. Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) and ranking member Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) said Kushner failed to turn over the relevant documents when they asked for them last month.

“‘We appreciate your voluntary cooperation with the Committee’s investigation, but the production appears to have been incomplete,’ the pair wrote in a letter dated Thursday to Kushner’s attorney, Abbe Lowell. … In a section of the letter titled ‘Missing documents,’ Grassley and Feinstein said Kushner had handed over some materials but omitted communications that mentioned some of the people connected to the investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 election.” http://politi.co/2AWOsFF

–“Kushner still waiting on permanent security clearance,” by Josh Dawsey: “Jared Kushner is still working with an interim security clearance 10 months into President Donald Trump’s administration, according to White House officials and others with knowledge of the matter. The top adviser and Trump son-in-law, who joined Trump for part of his Asia tour this month, has continued to work on sensitive foreign policy issues and other matters while his application for a permanent clearance remains under review.” http://politi.co/2j1krMt … The letter http://bit.ly/2mz6fPR

FOR YOUR RADAR — “Keystone pipeline leaks 210K gallons of oil in South Dakota” – AP/Amherst, S.D.: “TransCanada Corp.’s Keystone pipeline leaked an estimated 210,000 gallons of oil onto agricultural land in northeastern South Dakota, the company and state regulators said Thursday, but state officials don’t believe the leak polluted any surface water bodies or drinking water systems. … Discovery of the leak comes just days before Nebraska regulators are scheduled to announce their decision Monday whether to approve the proposed Keystone XL oil pipeline.” http://bit.ly/2iqHcdv

TRUMP’S FRIDAY — Trump will host NCAA national championship teams. He is having lunch with VP Mike Pence and will meet with Secretary of State Rex Tillerson.

THE JUICE …

— FIRST IN PLAYBOOK: MATT BRAVO, floor director to House Majority Whip Steve Scalise (R-La.), is joining S-3 Group. He will start working at the firm in 2018. “Matt Bravo has been a critical part of our Whip Office team from the start, and as floor director he has helped bring about many hard-earned legislative victories to the benefit of the American people,” Scalise said in a statement. “In more than a decade working on Capitol Hill, Matt has developed strong relationships with members of Congress and staff on both sides of the aisle, and while his counsel and friendship will be missed, I know Matt’s experience and expertise will serve him well in the next phase of his career.”

Bravo has worked in floor operations for more than a decade serving as coalitions director for Rep. Fred Upton (R-Mich.) while he was chairman of the Energy and Commerce Committee and as a floor assistant to then-House Majority Leader and Whip Eric Cantor (R-Va.).

— UPDATE: KIMBERLEY FRITTS is starting her own lobbying firm. Via Theo Meyer: “Tony Podesta stepped down as the Podesta Group’s chairman last month and tapped Fritts as his successor. But negotiations with Podesta to turn over control of the firm broke down, and Fritts quit last week, saying she’d start a new firm instead. Many of the Podesta Group’s top lobbyists are following Fritts to the new firm, Cogent Strategies, along with at least 15 clients, according to a person familiar with the firm’s plans. Fritts is still looking for office space for the firm.” http://politi.co/2A5Kr4q

HOLIDAY PARTY SCOOPLET — FIFTH HARMONY, the multi-platinum-winning girl group, is headlining the annual holiday charity benefit Dec. 12 at the 9:30 Club co-hosted by MUSICIANS ON CALL, RIAA and SPOTIFY. Chicago-based DJ JERZY will be the opening act.

TV TONIGHT — PBS’ “WASHINGTON WEEK” — Jackie Calmes, Nancy Cordes, Jeremy Peters and Ed O’Keefe.

PHOTO DU JOUR: Sen. Bob Menendez fights tears as he speaks to reporters outside the Martin Luther King Jr. Federal Courthouse in Newark, N.J. after U.S. District Judge William Walls declared a mistrial in Menendez’s federal corruption trial on Nov. 16. | Julio Cortez/AP Photo

IMPORTANT — “FCC Relaxes Media Ownership Rules in Contentious Vote,” by Variety’s Ted Johnson: “Broadcasters will be allowed to combine with a newspaper in the same market, and could be allowed to own two of the top four stations in a city, as the FCC on Thursday relaxed a series of long-standing media ownership regulations. The new rules, passed in a 3-2 vote, may be challenged in court, but if they survive, they will mark the most significant changes to media ownership regulations in a generation. They could lead to further consolidation and mergers among broadcasters, who have long argued that they need greater scale to compete with cable and internet companies for local ad dollars.” http://bit.ly/2zO9gyH

FROM MARK PRESTON — Museum of the Bible President Cary Summers joins CNN senior political analyst Mark Preston on his SiriusXM show, “Full Stop with Mark Preston” this weekend to talk about the opening of Washington new half-a-billion-dollar, 430,000 sq. ft. museum dedicated to the Bible. The show airs Saturday at noon and Sunday at 5 p.m. on SiriusXM POTUS 124. CLIPS FOR PLAYBOOKERS: Historical accuracy http://bit.ly/2inKq15 … Hobby Lobby’s affiliation http://bit.ly/2jwNrQc … President’s Bibles http://bit.ly/2mxOUXv

K-FILE STRIKES AGAIN — “Homeland Security’s head of community outreach resigns over past controversial comments on black community, Islam,” by CNN’s Andrew Kaczynski: “Rev. Jamie Johnson resigned Thursday as the head of faith-based and neighborhood partnerships at [DHS] after a CNN KFile report revealed inflammatory past comments he made about the black community and Islam. In past radio appearances, Johnson had said the black community was responsible for turning major US cities into ‘slums’ and argued that Islam’s only contribution to society was ‘oil and dead bodies.’” http://cnn.it/2A75m7g

THE CABINET — “Watchdog says Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke failed to properly document travel,” by WaPo’s Lisa Rein and Drew Harwell: “Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke has failed to keep complete records — and in some cases, kept none at all — of his travel since taking office, the agency’s watchdog told department officials this week, saying that management of Zinke’s travel was ‘deficient’ and lacked oversight. A rare alert Deputy Inspector General Mary Kendall sent to the secretary’s office Wednesday, obtained by The Washington Post, said her investigation into allegations of improper travel practices by Zinke has been stymied by ‘absent or incomplete documentation for several pertinent trips.’ Interior lawyers and ethics officials also have not shown evidence to investigators that they have been able to ‘distinguish between personal, political and official travel’ or cost-analysis documents to justify his choice of military or charter flights, Kendall wrote.” http://wapo.st/2AXBQ0S

****** A message from Chevron: This is a story about DOERS, butterflies, and buckwheat. In ’75, the endangered El Segundo Blue butterfly was found near a Chevron refinery. We protected the habitat and planted the only thing they eat—buckwheat. We’re still planting and keeping an eye on our littlest neighbor. Watch the video: http://politi.co/2ArIBXv ******

NYT MAGAZINE COVER STORY – “The Uncounted,” by Azmat Khan and Anand Gopal (print headline: “The U.S.-Led Battle Against ISIS is Killing Far More Iraqi Civilians Than the Coalition Has Acknowledged”): “Our own reporting, conducted over 18 months, shows that the air war has been significantly less precise than the coalition claims. Between April 2016 and June 2017, we visited the sites of nearly 150 airstrikes across northern Iraq, not long after ISIS was evicted from them. We toured the wreckage; we interviewed hundreds of witnesses, survivors, family members, intelligence informants and local officials; we photographed bomb fragments, scoured local news sources, identified ISIS targets in the vicinity and mapped the destruction through satellite imagery.

“We also visited the American air base in Qatar where the coalition directs the air campaign. There, we were given access to the main operations floor and interviewed senior commanders, intelligence officials, legal advisers and civilian-casualty assessment experts. We provided their analysts with the coordinates and date ranges of every airstrike — 103 in all — in three ISIS-controlled areas and examined their responses. The result is the first systematic, ground-based sample of airstrikes in Iraq since this latest military action began in 2014. We found that one in five of the coalition strikes we identified resulted in civilian death, a rate more than 31 times that acknowledged by the coalition.” http://nyti.ms/2zOYwjJ … The cover http://politi.co/2jx4Yrp

HOLLYWOODLAND — “Comcast Has Approached 21st Century Fox About an Acquisition,” by WSJ’s Dana Mattioli, Keach Hagey and Ryan Knutson: “New suitors are circling 21st Century Fox Inc., affirming that the media empire built by Rupert Murdoch is now in play. Comcast Corp. has approached the media company to express interest in buying a substantial piece of it, according to people familiar with the situation. Verizon Communications Inc. is also kicking the tires on Fox assets … And Sony Corp.’s entertainment unit has also informally approached Fox … The takeover interest in 21st Century Fox gained steam after news last week that Walt Disney Co. recently held talks with the company but failed to reach a deal.” http://on.wsj.com/2A6Pstp

MEDIAWATCH — “BuzzFeed Set to Miss Revenue Target, Signaling Turbulence in Media: Prospects for a 2018 initial public offering by the high-profile publisher now appear remote,” by WSJ’s Amol Sharma and Lukas I. Alpert: “Digital publisher BuzzFeed is on track to miss its revenue target this year by a significant amount, the latest sign that troubles in the online-ad business are making it tough for new-media upstarts to live up to lofty expectations. BuzzFeed, one of several digital-media outfits that have grown quickly in recent years, had been targeting revenue of around $350 million in 2017 but is expected to fall short of that figure by about 15% to 20%.” http://on.wsj.com/2zLbD7K

— ELIZABETH DREW is joining The New Republic as a contributing editor. Drew wrote for The New Yorker for 19 years and in 2014, she reissued her book “Washington Journal: Reporting Watergate and Richard Nixon’s Downfall.” … BENNY JOHNSON is joining the Daily Caller as a reporter at large. He was most recently at IJR.

SPOTTED: Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) in first class on a three-and-a-half hour delayed Virgin America flight from DCA to SFO. The plane landed at SFO at midnight in California. … Rep. Mike McCaul (R-Texas) last night at Marx Cafe listening to local band “Dan Smith Trio” … Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) at DCA yesterday.

OUT AND ABOUT — The Federalist Society last night held their second annual Antonin Scalia memorial dinner at Union Station. Josh Gerstein’s write-up — “Gorsuch takes victory lap at Federalist dinner” http://politi.co/2j0VrVR

SPOTTED: Justice Neil Gorsuch, Justice Sam Alito, Attorney General Jeff Sessions, Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), Labor Secretary Alexander Acosta, EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt, Sens. Mike Lee (R-Utah), Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska), Ben Sasse (R-Neb.) and Luther Strange (R-Ala.), Kellyanne Conway, Don McGahn, George Will, Maureen Scalia, Reverend Paul Scalia, David McIntosh, Don Willett, Leonard Leo, James Taranto, Josh Hawley, Ken Paxton, Lee Dunn, Suhail Khan, Lexi and Kian Hudson, Erin DeLullo, Greg Mueller, Keith Appell, Garrett Ventry and Travis Burk.

— STEVE CLEMONS and EMILY LENZNER of The Atlantic hosted a night of hot chocolate, mulled wine, s’mores and ice skating on top of the Watergate hotel at Mel’s Rink, named after Melanie Kohn — the late ice hockey-loving daughter of Marc Kohn. SPOTTED: Rep. Mark Takano (D-Calif.), Hogan Gidley, Rakel and Jacques Cohen, Jordan Amb. Dina Kawar, Shawn Turner, Mike Castellano, Jane Mayer, Bill Hamilton, Michael Schmidt, Ben Chang, Orson Porter, Matt Wuerker, Adrienne LaFrance, Andrew Trueblood, Josh Eastright, Christina Sevilla, Kevin Baron, Jeff Dufour, Kara Ross, Patrick Mellody, Marissa Mitrovich, Fabrice Houdart, Tara McKelvey, Guneev Sharma, Meghan Dubyak, Gloria Dittus, Javier Palomarez, Robb Harleston and Lyndsay Polloway.

— ADFERO hosted a party last night to celebrate the opening of its new office. SPOTTED: Jeff Mascott, Gary Nuzzi, Greg Crist, Christin Baker, Katie McBreen, Jon Tripp, Kristen Smith, Jeff Solsby, Matt Wright, Margaret Zeigler, John Brandt, Megan Whittemore.

SUNDAY SO FAR – CBS’ “Face the Nation”: Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) … Rep. Jackie Speier (D-Calif.). Political panel: David French, Jen Jacobs, Ruth Marcus, and Ed O’Keefe

–ABC’s “This Week”: Panel: Matthew Dowd, Lanhee Chen, Stephanie Cutter, and Megan Murphy

— NBC’s “Meet the Press”: Panel: Bob Costa, Rich Lowry, Joy Reid and Amy Walter.

–CNN’s “State of the Union”: Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) … Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.)

–“Fox News Sunday”: Panel: Jason Chaffetz, Jessica Tarlov, Jason Riley, Juan Williams. Power Player: Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.)

WEDDING — EMILY POMERANZ, the associate director of major gifts and special events at NARAL Pro-Choice America and an OFA, DNC and DSCC alum, married ROB KEITH, who works at the Wilderness Society, in a candlelit service at Christ Church in Alexandria Nov. 11. “The ceremony included a bagpiper and a reading of an excerpt from Justice Kennedy’s opinion in the 2015 marriage equality decision.”

BIRTHWEEK (was yesterday): Madalene Milano, partner at GMMB

BIRTHDAY OF THE DAY: Brian Jones, partner at Black Rock Group. A book he’s been reading recently: “I recently finished ‘Season of the Witch: Enchantment, Terror and Deliverance in the City of Love,’ by David Talbot. The book chronicles how San Francisco was transformed from a scrappy immigrant town to one of the great cities of the country (and arguably the world) during a period of cultural turmoil in the 1960s, 70s and early 80s. As someone who lived in San Francisco for four years, the book shed some serious light on the city I came to know in the mid 1990s and also illustrates how a prolonged period of societal upheaval and angst can be overcome and ultimately lead to a better era.” Read his Playbook Plus Q&A: http://politi.co/2mxjWil (hat tip: Michael Meehan)

BIRTHDAYS: Jarrod Agen is 40. He celebrated with coworkers last night at Old Ebbitt, with a “long overdue” date night with his wife tonight and then having some friends over for bowling at Truman Bowling Alley in the EEOB on Saturday … former House Speaker John Boehner is 68 … Charmaine Yoest, assistant secretary of public affairs at HHS … NBC News president Noah Oppenheim … Amb. Susan Rice, former Obama National Security Adviser, is 53 … Lorne Michaels is 73 … Fox News’ Chris Stirewalt … Paul Lindsay … Arielle Mueller, press aide to Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), is 2-5 (h/t Megan McKinley) … Anna Karl … Howard Dean is 69 … Sen. James Inhofe (R-Okla.) is 83 … Sen. Pat Toomey (R-Pa.) is 56 … U.S. Amb. to China Terry Branstad is 71 (h/t Blake Waggoner) … Quartz’s Chase Purdy … Halie Soifer … Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf is 69 … Denver Peacock … HuffPost global editorial director Howard Fineman … Rick Dunham is 61 … Mike Ricci, communications director for Speaker Paul Ryan, celebrating tax reform passage in the House with Ty Ricci (h/t Ryan comms team) … Politico’s Helena Bottemiller Evich …

… Isaac Baker, partner at AKPD … Linda Moore, president and CEO of TechNet, Clinton WH staffer for all eight years, and original DLC field director. She’s celebrating at the #Clinton25 reunion in Little Rock (h/t Kiki McLean) … Diana Aviv, CEO of Feeding America (h/t Jon Haber) … Christy Osler … Harry Jaffe (h/t Cathy Merrill Williams) … NAM alum Lea Anne Foster … WSJ’s Felicia Schwartz is 26 … Ralph Posner, EVP at JDA Frontline … Chris Sloan … Kellie Boyle… Lucas Fleischer, alum of 270 Strategies … Gordon Whiting … Laurie Norton Moffatt … Pew’s Erika Compart … Marty Reiser … Russ Grote, managing director at Hamilton Place Strategies … Johnny VandeHei … Michele Tasoff, supervising talent producer of Chelsea Handler on Netflix … Edelman’s Elisa Vitalo … journalist Martin Fackler … Alex Gallo … Greg Croft of ABC News … Carly Montoya … Owen Baynard … TPM managing editor David Kurtz … Andrew Hinkebein … Mike Defilippis … Ada Waelder … Michael Maloof … Allison Hayward … Michael Ostrolenk is 47 … Gary Duff (h/t Teresa Vilmain)

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samanthasroberts · 7 years

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James Deens Current Girlfriend Chanel Preston, Head of Porns Advocacy Committee, Speaks

Deen co-founded the Adult Performer’s Advocacy Committee (APAC), an organization that helps ensure workplace safety in porn, with Preston. She is now serving as chairman following his resignation—as her boyfriend stands accused of serial rape. Where will performers turn for help now?

James and I are involved. It was never a secret but we dont talk much about it publicly. Obviously, this situation has presented me with complicated feelings, and Im navigating them as best I can.

As one of the adult entertainment industrys top male performers stands accused of rape and sexual assault, the industry must now re-evaluate how performers give and receive consent.

On Nov. 28, Stoya publicly accused her porn star ex-boyfriend, James Deen, of rape. James Deen held me down and fucked me while I said no, stop, used my safeword. I just cant nod and smile when people bring him up anymore. Since then, eight other women have come forward with their own allegations of abuse against Deenwith many claiming that the incidents in question took place on an adult film set.

In an industry thats historically lacked performer unity, many have come to rely on the Adult Performers Advocacy Committee (APAC) to represent their interests. Its the closest thing adult performers have come to a union.

Created by performers in the industry, APACs mission is to provide representation for performers in the adult film industry and to protect performers rights to a safer and more professional work environment. Deen was one of APACs co-founders, and up until his resignation last Monday, served as the organizations chairman.

With few entities looking out for adult performers, APAC was supposed to be that safe harbora place to turn to for guidance, to address safety concerns, and to help with any other issues performers had. Its a confusing time in the adult industry; theres no precedent for this. Given the numerous allegations against Deen, its clearly a conflict of interest to head an organization promoting the well-being of performers.

Following his resignation, APAC issued a statement to reiterate whose side theyre on: The APAC Board wants to state unequivocally that we stand with performers and other sex workers who are victims of any sort of sexual assault. APAC is committed to being a safe space for performers, and to creating a safer and healthier industry.

Still, performers may have a difficult time turning to APAC in their time of need considering that APAC president and co-founder Chanel Preston is dating Deen, and continues to as she assumes the additional role of chairmanDeens vacated position.

When pressed for comment about the potential that her relationship with Deen may give performers pause in coming to her organization with concerns, Preston issued this statement (with the condition that it be published in its entirety):

James and I are involved. It was never a secret but we dont talk much about it publicly. Obviously, this situation has presented me with complicated feelings, and Im navigating them as best I can. The porn community is small and many performers have had some sort of relationship with Stoya and/or James, and are experiencing this situation in a personal way. James is no longer involved in APAC decision-making, direction, or duties. APAC has issued a statement of solidarity with all sex workers who have been violated or assaulted, and the revised boards members, which consists of Conner Habib, Ela Darling, Veruca James, and I, will continue our commitment to serve our community and provide a safe and supportive environment for performers.

Now more than ever, adult performers are in need of support and advocates they can trust. As more women continue to levy allegations of sexual abuse and assault at Deen, many of which allegedly occurred in a workplace environment, its clearly a time for change.

Tori Lux, who accused Deen of assaulting her on a porn set, wrote, He proceeded to straddle my chest, pinning down my arms with his knees. Then, he raised his hand high above his head, swinging it down and hitting me in the face and head with an open palm. He did this five or six times. Later, Ashley Fires told The Daily Beast she was almost raped by Dean while on the premises of the S&M company Kink. Kora Peters and Amber Raynes experiences also took place on setand on-camera, no less.

It may prove difficult for women in this situation to turn to an organization now headed by Deens current partner, but Preston is not to blame for this. In an industry this small manyif not mostperformers drift in and out of relationships with one another given the difficulty many civilians have in understanding sex work. Nonetheless, women who have felt victimized by Deen may feel like they have nowhere to turn but to the public.

Porn star Nicki Blue, 27, is the most recent woman to come forward, alleging that things between her and Deen got out of handalso on the premises of S&M company Kink. She was 21 at the time. I started giving him [oral sex]. It was nice at first, then it got really rough. I kept trying to pull my head up to say something, it was too rough But he would just push my head back in so I was choking and I couldnt say anything. As he was doing itthis is the embarrassing part and why I didnt say anythinghe said, Oh my God, I have to go to the bathroom, and he pissed in my mouth.

Deen is certainly the most extreme example, but also not the only performer to allegedly violate consent on set. Sadly, adult performers have been dealing with similar workplace issues for years with little recourse. The allegations against Deen may finally force directors and to have conversations about limits and acceptability.

New girls entering the porn industry often dont know their limitsthey learn on the job. I didnt know it was okay to say no, that I could leave whenever I wanted to, says adult actress Carmen Valentina. As a newbie she felt pressured into pleasing a director in the hopes of being rehired. I was booked for a handjob, when I got there the director and talent kept trying to also get me to do a blowjob scene. Not wanting to make anyone angry, and being so new, I did the blowjob scene. I didnt get paid more for it, says Valentina. I felt taken advantage of. I was new and still learning the ins and outs of the industry.

Anxiety about not being rehired or the fear of being labeled difficult prevents some female porn stars from speaking up. As hundreds of women compete for relatively few jobs, it creates an environment in which newand sometimes establishedperformers participate in acts they later regret. There are no advocates for these women on set, no one to protect them from being bullied into submission.

Workplace issues are at times unavoidable no matter how experienced the performer is. Adult actress Katja Kassin was hired to do a rape-like scene in an old bathroom with several urinals. She agreed the male performers could put her head in a urinal under one condition: it be sanitized. I explained my concerns about germs and contracting diseases like hepatitis A or B. All performers and the director were present during the conversation, says Kassin. Only one urinal was cleaned and approved of, but her co-stars had other ideas.

The male performers dragged me towards a bathroom stall and attempted to dunk my head in the toilet even though I made it clear I do not consent, says Kassin. I said no several times but it took me using physical force and pushing off the guys to stop the scene. The director made no attempt to interrupt the scene. She did not intervene.

Though Kassin wanted to stop the scene, the director communicated to her that if I didnt finish I might not get paid in full, which increased the pressure for me to continue the scene. Afterwards, Kassin addressed the issue with company staff but no one seemed to care. I decided to just suck it up, says Kassin. I can understand why none of the girls reported their abuse [regarding Deen] because oftentimes it feels like as a female porn performer you dont have any support.

With repeated exposure, alarming situations or on set behaviors can become conventional over time. Performers are encouraged to push limits physically and mentally. Its not just about the sex; its about finding the extremes. Seasoned male porn star Voodoo believes the extreme nature of sexually violent pornand the way its handled by directors, crew members, and performers on setis creating problems within the industry.

I will never defend him but you cant just blame James Deen, says Voodoo. I believe the women who accused him 100 percent, but at the same time the porn industry is responsible for creating that kind of monster.

As a director, Voodoo feels obligated to ensure the comfort of performers within a scenea responsibility he wishes more directors took seriously. If Im behind the camera and I see my performer experiencing physical or psychological discomfort, its my duty to stop that and see if theyre OK, but directors arent doing that, says Voodoo. Instead theyre saying, Go harder, more, more, oh she can take it! As a performer, Ive been subjected to that and told directors to go fuck themselves. Directors are getting out of control with what they want to put out there.

Source: http://allofbeer.com/2017/09/19/james-deens-current-girlfriend-chanel-preston-head-of-porns-advocacy-committee-speaks/

from All of Beer https://allofbeer.wordpress.com/2017/09/19/james-deens-current-girlfriend-chanel-preston-head-of-porns-advocacy-committee-speaks/

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jimdsmith34 · 7 years

Text

James Deens Current Girlfriend Chanel Preston, Head of Porns Advocacy Committee, Speaks

James and I are involved. It was never a secret but we dont talk much about it publicly. Obviously, this situation has presented me with complicated feelings, and Im navigating them as best I can.

As one of the adult entertainment industrys top male performers stands accused of rape and sexual assault, the industry must now re-evaluate how performers give and receive consent.

source http://allofbeer.com/2017/09/19/james-deens-current-girlfriend-chanel-preston-head-of-porns-advocacy-committee-speaks/ from All of Beer http://allofbeer.blogspot.com/2017/09/james-deens-current-girlfriend-chanel.html

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adambstingus · 7 years

Text

James Deens Current Girlfriend Chanel Preston, Head of Porns Advocacy Committee, Speaks

James and I are involved. It was never a secret but we dont talk much about it publicly. Obviously, this situation has presented me with complicated feelings, and Im navigating them as best I can.

As one of the adult entertainment industrys top male performers stands accused of rape and sexual assault, the industry must now re-evaluate how performers give and receive consent.

from All Of Beer http://allofbeer.com/2017/09/19/james-deens-current-girlfriend-chanel-preston-head-of-porns-advocacy-committee-speaks/ from All of Beer https://allofbeercom.tumblr.com/post/165525070767

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allofbeercom · 7 years

Text

James Deens Current Girlfriend Chanel Preston, Head of Porns Advocacy Committee, Speaks

James and I are involved. It was never a secret but we dont talk much about it publicly. Obviously, this situation has presented me with complicated feelings, and Im navigating them as best I can.

As one of the adult entertainment industrys top male performers stands accused of rape and sexual assault, the industry must now re-evaluate how performers give and receive consent.

from All Of Beer http://allofbeer.com/2017/09/19/james-deens-current-girlfriend-chanel-preston-head-of-porns-advocacy-committee-speaks/

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trendingnewsb · 6 years

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Why It’s Harder To Take Down Sex Abusers In Washington Than In Hollywood

Yet as politicians (of both political parties) face accusations of sexual misconduct, it has been much rarer for them to face such dramatic consequences, if any at all.

So why has the political realm proved less willing to hand out moral payback? In part because political and ideological stakes are involved.

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GOP Senate candidate Roy Moore has denied multiple allegations that he preyed on teenage girls by portraying those accusations as a partisan attack.

The accusers are assessed “through the lens of partisanship,” Heldman said, “as in, ‘Oh, maybe this is just a woman from the Republican Party who’s going after a Democrat.’”

Moore has played on this tendency, characterizing the allegations against him as a conspiracy.

There are fewer means for holding lawmakers accountable.

Other dynamics that make it harder to punish alleged sexual harassers in politics go beyond the voters’ immediate considerations.

For one, there are more individual entities in private industry with the power to take decisive action.

Contrast that with the options for punishing lawmakers.

To report sexual harassment on Capitol Hill, lawmakers and staffers must go through a byzantine system that offers little transparency or recourse for accusers.

“Congress right now is in the business of policing itself,” Goss Graves said. “There isn’t really another body that’s an effective counter to what’s happening.”

Farrell said it isn’t a coincidence that “politicians make it hard for people to complain about them.”

“It’s made arduous by design,” she said. “This is the fox guarding the henhouse.”

The fear of economic consequences can push a private company to take quick action against harassers.

Famous accusers can expedite the process of taking claims seriously.

Of the accusations, Farrell said, “it was very clear that many knew them to be true, and his board knew them to be true,” in part because of the level of fame involved.

Bob Riha Jr. via Getty Images

Harvey Weinstein and Gwyneth Paltrow celebrated at the Oscars in 1999, when “Shakespeare in Love” took Best Picture and Paltrow took Best Actress.

As a group, the women accusing politicians of sexual assault and harassment are simply not as famous as movie stars, and many had no significant public profile before they came forward.

In one key aspect, however, the situations in entertainment and politics may not be that different.

While men like Weinstein have suffered direct consequences, they may yet make career comebacks, as society tends to be forgiving of men’s transgressions.

The men being punished now might just be “sacrificial lambs,” Heldman cautioned, rather than catalysts for significant, long-term change in Hollywood.

Mike Blake/Reuters

Less than a decade after going on an anti-Semitic rant at a police officer, and later being caught abusing his then-girlfriend, actor and director Mel Gibson received an Oscar nomination.

Farrell described the fact that politicians face relatively few consequences for sexual misconduct as “a really good barometer on how far we have to go” in raising awareness of the broader issue.

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