Tag Archives: victims

Stassi Schroeder Dragged (HARD) for Mocking #MeToo Movement

Stassi Schroeder is persona non grata around the Internet right now. And for a fairly understandable reason. The 29-year old Vanderpump Rules star addressed the victims of Hollywood’s ongoing sexual misconduct scandal on her Straight Up with Stassi podcast this week… … only she didn’t exactly take their side, for some strange and indefensible reason. Instead, she actually titled the latest episode “Are we on a male witch hunt?” and made comments that implied men such as Kevin Spacey and Charlie Rose were the ones getting a raw deal these days. In response to Schroeder’s stance, critics jumped on Twitter and jumped all over the reality star. “so I’m never one to go here but I’m disgusted after listening to @stassi newest episode,” wrote one annoyed individual, adding: “How dare you question these victims, mock #metoo , or even defend men who push boundaries with women.” Added another: “I’m only 15 minutes in and I’m already offended. I’ve never heard such ignorance or general disregard for women. She’s literally saying basically women only are lying for attention and we just are on a man with hunt. And another: “No one can MAKE me suck a dick’ And it’s official I’ve turned the podcast off.” During her podcast, Schroeder took issue with the idea that women were forced to give oral sex in some of these alleged situations. “I’m sorry, no one could make me suck a dick,” she said, adding: “I’m sorry it sounds like he thought you liked it because you were making out with him. And now that it’s a trend and it’s #metoo you’re going to come out and accuse him because you regret it.” Pretty easy to see why so many people are so upset with her, isn’t it? Not just people, though, Advertisers have also come out and distanced themselves from her podcast. Rent the Runway, for example, Tweeted the following: “We’re shocked by @stassi’s comments re the #metoo campaign. It goes against everything RTR stands for as a company and has publicly advocated. “Our 1st ads were slated to run on Mon but effective immediately we’ve terminated our relationship with her podcast.” Another advertiser, Framebridge, shared this sentiment: “In no way do @stassi’s comments about the #metoo campaign reflect our beliefs. We are ending our relationship with the Straight Up with Stassi Podcast effective immediately. “We will always stand by brave women sharing their stories.” How has Stassi responded to this scandal? By using it for PR purposes. She Tweeted in reply to the advertiser boycott and the backlash from listeners: “Just finished recording a follow up episode… stay tuned.” Nope, sorry. But we definitely will NOT be doing that. View Slideshow: #MeToo: Stars Share Stories of Sexual Harassment, Assault

More:
Stassi Schroeder Dragged (HARD) for Mocking #MeToo Movement

R. Kelly Survivor Reveals Sex Cult Horror: He Keeps, Trains Women as "Pets"!

Over the summer, we heard allegations that R. Kelly keeps teen girls captive in a “sex cult” in which he controls every aspect of their lives, from how they eat to how they serve him. While these aren’t the first stomach-churning accusations about R. Kelly that we’d heard, this really shed new light on the sort of monster that he allegedly is. It’s important to recognize that adults can be victims as well. One woman, Kitti Jones, has come forward with accusations of how R. Kelly lured her into a relationship, convinced her to quit her job, and subjected her to a two-year horror show of control and abuse. In 1994, R. Kelly was 27 years old. In 1994, he married Aaliyah, who was only 15 years old at the time. That’s horrifying enough, but when you listen to people talk about their accounts of their experiences with R. Kelly, you start to see a grotesque pattern of not only sexual predation upon minors but of alleged abuse. In the ’90s, R. Kelly settled at least three suits with women who alleged that he’d preyed upon them when they were minors, and at least one of those women alleged that he’d encouraged her to participate in group sex with him and other minor girls. Until this summer,t he most notorious thing about R. Kelly was the video tape that surfaced in 2002 and showed a young girl calling R. Kelly “daddy” before he urinated into her mouth. Though dozens of witnesses identified the girl as having been 14 at the time, jurors somehow acquitted R. Kelly of multiple counts of child pornography … because they “couldn’t” verify her age. So, you know, another great example of the justice system and how it works … well, how it operates . All of that is enough reason for you to want to hide your kids. As it turns out, where R. Kelly is concerned, you might want to hide your wife, too. Because we heard allegations this summer that indicate that R. Kelly is also a danger to adult women. (Honestly, a college classmate of mine shared several years ago that a man hit on her in a bar and she assumed that he was just fishing for free drinks — and later learned that it was R. Kelly. I can’t help thinking that she really dodged a bullet) Back in July, we heard allegations that R. Kelly keeps a number of young women, teenagers included, in a cult-like environment that revolves around them servicing him, sexually. Beyond that, he is said to keep them isolated from their families and the outside world. He allegedly controls what they eat and when they eat it and even when they go to the bathroom. According to these accusations, R. Kelly does all of this slowly, grooming them, and effectively brainwashes them into defending him when anyone expresses concern. Most seriously of all, there were allegations of verbal and physical abuse. R. Kelly denied these accusations , to no one’s surprise. He was similarly dismissive of the infamous underage pee-tape. Even back in July, a sex partner of R. Kelly’s confirmed the allegations contained within the damning expose. And then in August, another alleged sex abuse victim of R. Kelly’s came forward. Well, a Rolling Stone article titled ” Surviving R. Kelly ” details the experiences of one survivor named Kitti Jones. She says that she was a huge fan of R. Kelly growing up — like, a superfan who would get up close to the stage at his concerts. He was her “Brad Pitt,” she says. On the night that she first met him, they exchanged numbers and he told her to call him “daddy,” not “Rob.” This was back in 2011, and the happy beginning to Kitti’s nightmare. They texted back and forth and she would send him risque photos. When they saw each other again, Kitti describes R. Kelly as walking into the hotel room, sitting down, and whipping out his penis. “I was attracted to him and was just like, ‘Well, OK. Fine.’ Maybe he just has weird ways of getting off.” Well … we guess she’s not wrong . The two had oral sex that weekend, Kitti says, with R. Kelly saying things like “I gotta teach you how to be with me” and “I gotta train you.” So … yikes. “He was like a drill sergeant even when he was pleasuring me,” Kitti describes. “He was telling me how to bend my back or move my leg here.” “I’m like, ‘Why is he directing it like this?’ It was very uncomfortable.” But his celebrity status, her attraction to him, his months of having groomed her over the phone, and the way that he made her feel special added up to her not worrying about it too much. At first, she says, she believed their relationship to be monogamous, despite some … warning signs. “He said, ‘I have friends and I have girls I’ve raised.’ I didn’t know what he meant by ‘raised’ at the time. He said, ‘I eventually want you to meet them, but I want to make sure you’re mentally ready for that.'” FYI, folks, everything that Kitti just described R. Kelly as having said is a huge, huge red flag. And then it gets worse. R. Kelly would insist that she not interact with men, even male drivers. Also, he convinced her to quit her job, promising ot pay her double her salary as a DJ. Even before he got her to quit, though, Kitti says that he already had her feeling emotionally tethered to him, and very defensive against any criticism. “Rob kinda makes you feel like you have to defend him. It’s like you and him against the world. If someone brought him up [in conversation], immediately a wall went up.” Once she quit her job and moved to be with him, Kitti says that she surrendered even more control to R. Kelly. He dictated how she could dress when she went out in public and required constant check-ins, even texts like “Daddy, I need to go to the restroom.” The first instance of alleged abuse took place less than a month after Kitti moved in with him, as a result of Kitti challenging him about the pee tape. His response was fury, and she describes him spending a car ride berating her while striking her in the face and kicking her while she apologized. The next day, she says, he took her shopping and neither of them addressed what had happened. She says that she considered leaving him, but that she’d have felt silly after having quit her job to be with him. Unfortunately, as any abuse survivor could tell you, the first incident was not the last. Kitti says that there were 10 instances of R. Kelly inflicting physical abuse upon her during their first year together, and that the abuse happened more frequently the following year. When R. Kelly went on his “Single Ladies” tour, however, he treated her “like a princess,” which dashed many of Kitti’s misgivings. (Remember, it’s classic abuser behavior for them to play games with their victims, rewarding them and even making them second-guess how bad things had really gotten) After the tour, R. Kelly housed Kitti alongside two of his other girlfriends, monitoring their movements with cameras and punishing them by taking away their phones — at one point, taking Kitti’s for two months. Losing your phone sucks, but in their case, this meant that they couldn’t request food. In fact, Kitti says that R. Kelly would also use starvation to punish his “girlfriends.” At one point, she went without food for two and a half days. And though they were living in neighboring rooms, the three women didn’t even know each other’s real names at first, Kitti says. They were also supposed to report on each other if one of them was breaking the rules. “If you disclose your relationship with him [to another woman] — how long you’ve known him or whatever — you can get beat. He doesn’t want in any way for one girl to feel more like, ‘Oh, we’re closer than you guys.’ Even though we knew deep down we’re all living there, we didn’t address it.” In March of 2013, Kitti says, R. Kelly once again escalated their relationship by bringing in another young woman, naked, and having her and Kitti have sex with each other. “He told me, ‘I raised her. I’ve trained this bitch. This is my pet.'” Calling someone your “pet” in roleplay is fine, but this is more severe. And Kitti says that it was the beginning of R. Kelly forcing her into group sex. “You can’t say no because you’re going to get punished. You just become numb to what’s happening. It’s so traumatic the things that he makes you do to other people and to him.” And she says that yes, he still enjoys urinating on women in sexual situations. “He videotapes everything that he does, and sometimes he’ll just make you watch what he’s done to other girls or girls that he had be together.” “He would masturbate to that and then have you give him oral sex while he’s watching what he did with somebody else on his iPad.” After six months of “hell” in which Kitti says that she was being punished every week — either being struck in the face or being starved or having her phone taken — Kitti was able to break free. View Slideshow: 21 Celebrities You Probably Want to Keep Away From Your Children Fabricating a desire to take her son shopping, she went to Dallas with only a pair of suitcases. That was her escape. In November of that year, R. Kelly showed up, ostensibly to return her possessions that she’d had to abandon. Instead, she says, he lured her onto his tour bus and inflicted more physical abuse upon her to punish her for leaving. The two have never seen each other since. Well, that’s all horrifying.

Follow this link:
R. Kelly Survivor Reveals Sex Cult Horror: He Keeps, Trains Women as "Pets"!

Trailer Drops For Lifetime’s Flint Water Crisis Film With Queen Latifah And Jill Scott

See the rest here:

It’s downright shocking and sad that a movie about the devastating Flint, Michigan water crisis is here before the residents have clean and safe water available to them. Nevertheless, Lifetime’s new film Flint,  which stars  Queen Latifah and Jill Scott, and is based on Josh Sanburn’s February 2016 cover story for TIME magazine, “The Poisoning of an American City,” has just released its official trailer. Trailer released for Lifetime's Flint water crisis film starring Queen Latifah and Jill Scott https://t.co/kH0JHgROkq pic.twitter.com/cFpmFZClW4 — Shadow And Act (@shadowandact) October 24, 2017 Shadow and Act has the official synopsis of the film which is set to have its world premiere on October 28 th : “Flint” i s the gripping retelling of a crisis that shook a nation and shines a light on the whistleblowers who exposed the biggest environmental scandal of our generation. LeeAnne Walters (Brandt), Melissa Mays (Ireland) and Nayyirah Shariff (Scott) join forces after discovering that the drinking water in Flint, Michigan is contaminated, resulting in a slew of devastating medical problems for their families. When their claims go unheeded, they band together to expose the wrongdoings committed by their reckless, bean-counting government officials whose carelessness caused irrevocable harm to the lives of its residents. At press time, there has been no word if some or all of the film’s proceeds will go to aiding the victims of the Flint water crisis. Hopefully doing so is in Lifetime’s plans because it would be completely self-serving to make a movie about this tragedy and not try to help at all financially. Check out the full trailer BELOW:   Check out today’s Top Stories here: Issa Rae And HBO Team Up For ’90s-Era, L.A. Drama Series Will Mary J. Blige Have To Pay Ex-Husband Kendu Issacs More Alimony?

Trailer Drops For Lifetime’s Flint Water Crisis Film With Queen Latifah And Jill Scott

Trailer Drops For Lifetime’s Flint Water Crisis Film With Queen Latifah And Jill Scott

See the rest here:

It’s downright shocking and sad that a movie about the devastating Flint, Michigan water crisis is here before the residents have clean and safe water available to them. Nevertheless, Lifetime’s new film Flint,  which stars  Queen Latifah and Jill Scott, and is based on Josh Sanburn’s February 2016 cover story for TIME magazine, “The Poisoning of an American City,” has just released its official trailer. Trailer released for Lifetime's Flint water crisis film starring Queen Latifah and Jill Scott https://t.co/kH0JHgROkq pic.twitter.com/cFpmFZClW4 — Shadow And Act (@shadowandact) October 24, 2017 Shadow and Act has the official synopsis of the film which is set to have its world premiere on October 28 th : “Flint” i s the gripping retelling of a crisis that shook a nation and shines a light on the whistleblowers who exposed the biggest environmental scandal of our generation. LeeAnne Walters (Brandt), Melissa Mays (Ireland) and Nayyirah Shariff (Scott) join forces after discovering that the drinking water in Flint, Michigan is contaminated, resulting in a slew of devastating medical problems for their families. When their claims go unheeded, they band together to expose the wrongdoings committed by their reckless, bean-counting government officials whose carelessness caused irrevocable harm to the lives of its residents. At press time, there has been no word if some or all of the film’s proceeds will go to aiding the victims of the Flint water crisis. Hopefully doing so is in Lifetime’s plans because it would be completely self-serving to make a movie about this tragedy and not try to help at all financially. Check out the full trailer BELOW:   Check out today’s Top Stories here: Issa Rae And HBO Team Up For ’90s-Era, L.A. Drama Series Will Mary J. Blige Have To Pay Ex-Husband Kendu Issacs More Alimony?

Trailer Drops For Lifetime’s Flint Water Crisis Film With Queen Latifah And Jill Scott

Mayim Bialik Tries (Fails?) to Clarify Controversial Rape Remarks

Mayim Bialik, star of The Big Bang Theory, finds herself in big trouble this week. That’s what happens after you pen an op-ed for The New York Times in which you essentially blame the victims of sexual assault for getting assaulted. Over the weekend, Bialik really did write a guest article for the aforementioned publication in response to the heinous allegations surrounding Harvey Weinstein . With dozens of women having come out and accused the film producer of sexual misconduct, Bialik took the pompous stance that women need to think about how they look and act if they wish to avoid… rape. “As a proud feminist with little desire to diet, get plastic surgery or hire a personal trainer, I have almost no personal experience with men asking me to meetings in their hotel rooms,” Bialik wrote early in her piece, earning immediate scorn. Just… WHAT?!? Who says any of these abused women got plastic surgery? Or were obsessed with dieting? And, even if they did or they were, how does one then claim – in any tiny way, shape or form – that these interests mean a woman deserves to get assaulted or harassed?!? “If you are beautiful and sexy, terrific,” the actress continued, adding: “But having others celebrate your physical beauty is not the way to lead a meaningful life. “And if – like me – you’re not a perfect 10, know that there are people out there who will find you stunning, irresistible and worthy of attention, respect and love. “The best part is you don’t have to go to a hotel room or a casting couch to find them.” There’s no way to interpret this stance in any way aside from Bialik saying women are somewhat to blame for getting raped. Just act uglier and you’ll be ignored , she’s saying. After getting dragged over the Internet coals for her opinion,  Bialik lashed out at the “vicious” critics and said she would address the topic further in a Facebook Live chat on Monday. In this chat, Bialik made an important distinction. “There is no way to avoid being a victim of assault by what you wear or the way you behave,” she said, explaining that her comments were only in reference to the “culture of Hollywood” that she’s experienced over the years. “I was not speaking about assault and rape in general,” she added. She went on to blame Hollywood instead of the actresses who were assaulted themselves, saying the industry encourages women to “present” themselves in a certain way. “I feel protected in my industry more when I keep parts of myself private,” she said. “It gives a feeling of comfort and a layer of protection, but it does not make you immune to assault.” Bialik also apologized and said she was “deeply, deeply hurt” if any person that is actually has been a victim of assault thought she was blaming them in any way. Many did.  Stars such as Patricia Arquette and Gabrielle Union Tweeted in protest of Bialik, sharing their deeply personal stories of rape and assault in order to prove clothing played no role in what happened to them. So at least the actress has tried here to clarify her comments. And, look, perhaps there is some kind of column to write about Hollywood’s standards of beauty and how they place stressful burdens on young female stars. But that issue wasn’t at play in the case of Harvey Weinstein being a grotesque monster. And it’s certainly not what Mayim Bialik  wrote about in her op-ed. View Slideshow: #MeToo: Stars Share Stories of Sexual Harassment, Assault

Read more here:
Mayim Bialik Tries (Fails?) to Clarify Controversial Rape Remarks

Josh Duggar, Sisters Lose Lawsuit Against Tabloid

In the wake of the Josh Duggar sex scandals , the perpetrator’s famous family lashed out in every direction, desperately seeking a way to blame anyone other than Josh. This meant giving interviews in which the blame was placed on the police department that released Josh’s records, and of course, on the tabloid that first broke the story that nearly destroyed the Duggars. Back in May of 2015, In Touch magazine was the first to report that Josh had molested five young girls , four of whom were his sisters, and was assisted in covering up his crimes by his parents. Several of the older Duggar sisters sued the magazine’s publisher, Bauer Media Group, claiming that the company violated victim protection laws by publishing police reports without redacting the Duggar name. (The victims were not named in the published documents, but the Duggars argued that it would be easy to deduce the identities of the victims based on the information provided.) Josh Duggar attempted to join his sisters’ lawsuit , but was rebuffed by their legal team. Eventually, Josh filed his own lawsuit against In Touch , seeking $75,000 in damages and arguing that the magazine had criminally impinged upon his privacy. On Friday, both cases were thrown out by U.S. District Judge Tim Brooks, who decreed that In Touch was well within its First Amendment rights to publish the information contained in the police reports. “Even if one assumes that the disclosure failed to comply with Arkansas statutory redaction requirements, it is clear that the Bauer defendants cannot be held liable, for the city’s and county’s failure to follow the law,” Brooks wrote in his ruling. The Duggar girls named several other parties in their suit, including the City of Springdale, Arkansas, Washington County, and several city officials, who they claim were responsible for the release of their information. While Brooks dismissed most of the defendants, the Duggars’ claims against a few parties, including former Springdale Police Chief Kathy O’Kelley, were allowed to remain active. Those cases will be decided at a later date. Despite that sliver of remaining hope, however, this is nothing less than a devastating legal blow for the Duggars. Their case was never about the damages being sought, but instead constituted an effort to save face by demonstrating that there were numerous guilty parties who were in some way involved in the now-infamous Josh Duggar sex scandal. The judge’s ruling confirms what millions already knew: No one but Josh and his parents is responsible for the atrocities that took place in the Duggar home. Watch Counting On online for more from reality TV’s most famous family. View Slideshow: Josh Duggar Sex Scandal Timeline: How His Family’s Empire Crumbled

See the original post here:
Josh Duggar, Sisters Lose Lawsuit Against Tabloid

Evan Rachel Wood: This is Why I’ve Never Named My Rapists!

With the very public accusations of  Harvey Weinstein raping multiple women  and the details of  decades of sexual harassment  against women working in the film industry, a lot of people are talking about how this happens. Along with rightful condemnations, there are also people asking why these women — some of whom are quite famous — stayed quiet for so long. Evan Rachel Wood, herself an actress and also a rape survivor, has made a lengthy video in which she shares her thoughts on why women — herself included — don't come forward sooner. In the lengthy but captivating video titled “I'm here to tell you that I'm afraid,” Evan Rachel Wood first discusses the politicization of the Harvey Weinstein story and how both sides of the political aisle aren't helping anyone by trying to make it a political issue. She's right — it doesn't matter what side of the aisle a rapist is on. We should all stand united against that sort of evil. Then she talks about what makes women so often take so long to report sexual assaults. “In this case, and in many cases, when women come forward with a story about sexual assault or sexual harassment, people are very quick to try to discredit them or knock them down or look for any sign of foul play or any reason not to believe them.” That is a tragic reality. Everyone plays a volunteer defense attorney. “I think that some of this comes from trying to protect innocent people from being accused falsely.” Keep in mind that false accusations, though extremely rare in proportion to the number of actual sexual assaults, do occasionally happen. “But we've got to find a way to find a balance, because right now, people are wondering why more women didn't come forward sooner. And why in a lot of these cases, one woman will come out multiple women will come out and then the floodgates are open.” She explains why that happens. “People are wondering why women don't come forward sooner or why they come out in numbers. It's because it's safer. They do not feel safe enough to do so. Period.” Safety in numbers, right? “And I'm guilty of this as well, because I have not named my abusers.” That is totally her choice to make. None of us can decide for her. “Not because I don't plan on saying people's names eventually, but because … to start that process is an emotionally draining, financially draining, really everything-draining thing to do.” That's sadly true. It's not uncommon for wealthy rapists to sue their victims into silence. Rape is very difficult to prove in our justice system, sadly, which also means that it's difficult to prove if you're sued for slander or defamation for calling someone out on being a sexual predator. And lawsuits are horribly expensive. You can win a lawsuit and still go bankrupt. But she says that she'll do it when she's ready. “If you want to know who my perpetrators were, they were very powerful, very rich, very entitled, very narcissistic white men.” That is, unfortunately, not an uncommon profile for sexual predators. “And I haven't named my abusers for a number of reasons. One, I'm one person against some very powerful people. Two, money and time and re-traumatizing yourself. To go after the person who assaulted you takes quite a toll. It is a terrifying thing to have to go through.” With members of the public scrutinizing everything you've said and done out of what looks like some perverse drive to defend the accused, it sure sounds terrifying. “Mainly because you're at risk of not being believed, you career being hurt, you being drained of your finances. Because it costs a lot of money to file a lawsuit and to go to court with somebody. Especially if all that you have is your word against theirs.” Like we said, wealth can be a powerful suit of armor against all sorts of allegations. “And especially if these are very powerful people. Once again, you're at the mercy of your abusers. And you've kicked a hornet's nest. And you have a target on your back.” Evan Rachel Wood speaks about how all of this can be discouraging to women who have been raped by less powerful men, too. “Look at all of the people that have gone free. There is something in society that tells us not to trust women. And there's something in society that makes us desensitized.” That is a sad, sad reality. As for why Evan Rachel Wood doesn't name the men who assaulted her, even though they might prey upon other women? “I am not ready to go through that and to relive those things.” We absolutely do not blame her. No one can make that decision for a survivor of any kind of assault or abuse.

More:
Evan Rachel Wood: This is Why I’ve Never Named My Rapists!

Evan Rachel Wood: This is Why I’ve Never Named My Rapists!

With the very public accusations of  Harvey Weinstein raping multiple women  and the details of  decades of sexual harassment  against women working in the film industry, a lot of people are talking about how this happens. Along with rightful condemnations, there are also people asking why these women — some of whom are quite famous — stayed quiet for so long. Evan Rachel Wood, herself an actress and also a rape survivor, has made a lengthy video in which she shares her thoughts on why women — herself included — don't come forward sooner. In the lengthy but captivating video titled “I'm here to tell you that I'm afraid,” Evan Rachel Wood first discusses the politicization of the Harvey Weinstein story and how both sides of the political aisle aren't helping anyone by trying to make it a political issue. She's right — it doesn't matter what side of the aisle a rapist is on. We should all stand united against that sort of evil. Then she talks about what makes women so often take so long to report sexual assaults. “In this case, and in many cases, when women come forward with a story about sexual assault or sexual harassment, people are very quick to try to discredit them or knock them down or look for any sign of foul play or any reason not to believe them.” That is a tragic reality. Everyone plays a volunteer defense attorney. “I think that some of this comes from trying to protect innocent people from being accused falsely.” Keep in mind that false accusations, though extremely rare in proportion to the number of actual sexual assaults, do occasionally happen. “But we've got to find a way to find a balance, because right now, people are wondering why more women didn't come forward sooner. And why in a lot of these cases, one woman will come out multiple women will come out and then the floodgates are open.” She explains why that happens. “People are wondering why women don't come forward sooner or why they come out in numbers. It's because it's safer. They do not feel safe enough to do so. Period.” Safety in numbers, right? “And I'm guilty of this as well, because I have not named my abusers.” That is totally her choice to make. None of us can decide for her. “Not because I don't plan on saying people's names eventually, but because … to start that process is an emotionally draining, financially draining, really everything-draining thing to do.” That's sadly true. It's not uncommon for wealthy rapists to sue their victims into silence. Rape is very difficult to prove in our justice system, sadly, which also means that it's difficult to prove if you're sued for slander or defamation for calling someone out on being a sexual predator. And lawsuits are horribly expensive. You can win a lawsuit and still go bankrupt. But she says that she'll do it when she's ready. “If you want to know who my perpetrators were, they were very powerful, very rich, very entitled, very narcissistic white men.” That is, unfortunately, not an uncommon profile for sexual predators. “And I haven't named my abusers for a number of reasons. One, I'm one person against some very powerful people. Two, money and time and re-traumatizing yourself. To go after the person who assaulted you takes quite a toll. It is a terrifying thing to have to go through.” With members of the public scrutinizing everything you've said and done out of what looks like some perverse drive to defend the accused, it sure sounds terrifying. “Mainly because you're at risk of not being believed, you career being hurt, you being drained of your finances. Because it costs a lot of money to file a lawsuit and to go to court with somebody. Especially if all that you have is your word against theirs.” Like we said, wealth can be a powerful suit of armor against all sorts of allegations. “And especially if these are very powerful people. Once again, you're at the mercy of your abusers. And you've kicked a hornet's nest. And you have a target on your back.” Evan Rachel Wood speaks about how all of this can be discouraging to women who have been raped by less powerful men, too. “Look at all of the people that have gone free. There is something in society that tells us not to trust women. And there's something in society that makes us desensitized.” That is a sad, sad reality. As for why Evan Rachel Wood doesn't name the men who assaulted her, even though they might prey upon other women? “I am not ready to go through that and to relive those things.” We absolutely do not blame her. No one can make that decision for a survivor of any kind of assault or abuse.

More:
Evan Rachel Wood: This is Why I’ve Never Named My Rapists!

Twitter Reacts To Mariah Carey Talking Las Vegas Shooting In Front Of October Christmas Tree

Read the rest here:

Source: Steven Lawton / Getty Mariah Carey found herself in a tricky situation this past Sunday. The pop diva went on the show Good Morning Britain to promote her upcoming Christmas mini-tour and of course, in Mariah Carey fashion, she gave us full glamorous diva in front of an October Christmas tree. At first, the image was released and social media couldn’t deal with Mimi having the tree up when we haven’t even hit December yet. WTF is Mariah Carey doing with her Christmas Tree up? It’s only the 2nd of October!

17 Celebs Who Donated Major Cash To Help Hurricane Harvey Survivors

See the original post:

Source: Albert L. Ortega / Getty When major disasters happen in the world, people look to the stars for answers — and not the ones in the sky. Celebrities have been using their star power all week to help the victims devastated by Hurricane Harvey in Houston and the surrounding areas. On Monday, Kevin Hart kicked off the #HurricaneHarvey challenge in which he challenged his famous friends to donate at least $25,000. Check out these 16 stars who took the comedian up on his offer or simply made a donation on their own: Beyoncé The Houston native didn’t publicly announce her donation (or how much she gave), but her Reverend Rudy Rasmus revealed that the queen gave a healthy contribution. Kevin Hart Kevin Hart lead his own social media challenge to the people of Houston and called on his famous friends for support. Drake  Drake is currently overseas in London, but that hasn’t stopped him form working with local relief groups to assist the people of Texas. Sandra Bullock Sandra Bullock donated a hefty $1 million to the Hurricane Harvey victims. SZA GUYS JUST DONATED TO THE HURRICANE HARVEY RELIEF FUND! Here's how you can too! every lil bit helps! https://t.co/ZqvbDyj3Vd #HoustonStrong — SZA (@sza) August 29, 2017 SZA took to Twitter to announce her donation. T.I.  Tip took Kevin Hart up on the #HurricaneHarvey challenge. Diddy Diddy even followed the comedian up on his challenge. Check the link in his bio. The Rock  The Rock revealed that he also is a natural disaster survivor, so it’s only right that he helps those in need. Chris Brown Chris Brown donating $100,000 to help hurricane relief efforts in Houston pic.twitter.com/IWt5HD4HyC — DJ Akademiks (@IamAkademiks) August 29, 2017 Breezy says he’ll donate $100,000 to Hurricane survivors — just not to the Red Cross. Kim Kardashian #HurricaneHarvey has left catastrophic effects. Join me in donating to @salvationarmyUS at https://t.co/O79TMuNi5q or text STORM to 51555 — Kim Kardashian West (@KimKardashian) August 29, 2017 Kim K. and her family sent a donations the Salvation Army and the Red Cross. Oprah Winfrey  Woke up still praying for #Harvey to recede. Donating to @RedCross and @SalvationArmyUS . Do whatever you can. — Oprah Winfrey (@Oprah) August 30, 2017 Queen O is sending her donation to the Red Cross. DJ Khaled DJ Khaled and Asahd will follow Kevin Hart up on his challenge and donate $25,000. J.J. Watt Houston Texans defensive end J.J. Watt’s fundraiser raised over $6 million for hurricane relief efforts. Ellen Degeneres Texas, I love you. #HoustonStrong pic.twitter.com/z1ly4bFG7l — Ellen DeGeneres (@TheEllenShow) August 28, 2017 Ellen pledged her donation in a heartfelt video during her show. Jennifer Lopez and Alex Rodriguez J. Lo and her beau A. Rod have vowed to pledge $25K a piece to hurricane relief efforts. Nicki Minaj  Praying for the people of Houston today. These images are heartbreaking. — NICKI MINAJ (@NICKIMINAJ) August 28, 2017 Nicki is taking Kevin Hart up on his #HurricaneHarvey challenge to pledge $25,000. Ezekiel Elliot Giving $21k to @SalvationArmyUS #Harvey2017 relief. I challenge @dak @DezBryant & @dallascowboys fans to join me. https://t.co/ZXx6K4WQ8N — Ezekiel Elliott (@EzekielElliott) August 28, 2017 The Dallas Cowboys star will donate $21,000 to the Salvation Army. You don’t have to be a celebrity to make a difference. Give what you can to any organization of your choice.   [ione_media_gallery src=”https://globalgrind.cassiuslife.com” id=”4234416″ overlay=”true”]

17 Celebs Who Donated Major Cash To Help Hurricane Harvey Survivors