Rape

In a post-Barbie universe, it’s a strange feeling to have pity for extremely wealthy, famous, and attractive heterosexual men. Yet this has been the predominant sentiment following actor Charles Melton’s Oscar snub for his turn as a traumatized sexual assault survivor in May December. Directed by Todd Haynes, May December is a portrait of the relationship between Melton’s Joe Yoo and his wife, Gracie (Julianne Moore), whom he met while he was a 13-year-old working in the then-36-year-old Gracie’s pet store. The…

The interview room at the rape reception at the Oslo Emergency Medical Service and information brochure. Credit: NTB Why do so many people choose not to report rape? Research shows that the trauma of talking about the abuse as well as owning one's own narrative of what happened can be crucial. There is currently a strong expectation in Norway that…

Former Backstreet Boys member Nick Carter was shut down by a Los Angeles judge Wednesday in his bid to dismiss the rape lawsuit filed by former Dream singer Melissa Schuman. Carter, 43, tried but failed to bounce the case on the grounds that Schuman’s claim actually belongs in Las Vegas, where he’s already suing Schuman and two other sex assault accusers for defamation. At a morning hearing in Santa Monica, California, Los Angeles County Judge Lisa Sepe-Wiesenfeld expressed skepticism that Nevada was the best…

Mariska Hargitay, whose character Olivia Benson on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit has investigated rapists for the past 25 years, has revealed that she, too, is a victim of sexual violence. In a new essay for People, Hargitay, 59, wrote that the crime occurred when she was in her 30s and that the man who assaulted her was someone she knew well. “He was a friend,” she wrote. “Then he wasn’t. I tried all the ways I knew to get out of it. I tried to make jokes, to be charming, to set a boundary, to reason, to…

It’s been a long, complicated journey for Rachel Jeffs Blackmore since escaping the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, a polygamous Mormon cult led by her father, Warren Jeffs.  Blackmore, who recently celebrated her 40th birthday, left her old life behind nearly a decade ago and is now living in Idaho with her husband Brandon, another FLDS member, and all of their children. In the past decade, she’s been outspoken about the horrors and abuses she experienced at the hands of her father,…

Get our free weekly email for all the latest cinematic news from our film critic Clarisse LoughreyGet our The Life Cinematic email for freeFrench actor and director Samuel Theis, who stars in the Golden Globe-winning movie Anatomy Of A Fall, has denied accusations that he raped a crew member who worked on his upcoming film.The incident allegedly occurred in July at a crew party for Je Le Jure, which is Mr Theis’s third stint as a director. He was subsequently removed from the set and reportedly finished the film remotely,…

The French actor and film-maker Samuel Theis, known for his role in Oscar-tipped drama Anatomy of a Fall, has been accused of rape.According to Variety, Theis was removed from a film he was directing called Je Le Jure after a crew member claimed that he was sexually assaulted. In a report published by the French newspaper Liberation, the alleged incident took place this July after a party held at an apartment.The unnamed crew member claims that he stayed at the apartment as he was drunk and was raped in the morning. Theis…

The Florida Republican Party has voted to oust Chair Christian Ziegler from his leadership position as authorities investigate allegations that Ziegler sexually assaulted a woman previously involved in a three-way relationship with himself and his wife, Moms for Liberty co-founder Bridget Ziegler. The party reportedly voted overwhelmingly to expel Ziegler on Monday. The vote comes weeks after the state GOP unanimously voted during an emergency meeting to strip Ziegler of his official duties and lowered his…

Actor Danny Masterson, known for his role in “That ’70s Show,” has been transferred to a state prison following his conviction on rape charges involving two women. His recent mugshot, depicting him in an orange jumpsuit, has also been released to the public. A representative from the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation confirmed to PEOPLE that the 47-year-old actor was admitted to North Kern State Prison on Wednesday. Masterson is currently undergoing the classification and…

Get our free weekly email for all the latest cinematic news from our film critic Clarisse LoughreyGet our The Life Cinematic email for freeA Spanish journalist and author has filed a criminal complaint against Gérard Depardieu for allegedly raping her during an interview nearly three decades ago in Paris.Ruth Baza, 51, filed the complaint with Spain’s national police last week for the alleged rape, becoming one of more than a dozen women who have accused the French actor of sexual abuse.Baza has alleged that she was 23…