🎧 The Daily: Prosecuting R. Kelly | New York Times

Listened to The Daily: Prosecuting R. Kelly from New York Times

The singer, trailed by allegations for years, has now been charged with sexual abuse. We hear from the Chicago prosecutor on the other side of the case.

👓 Opinion | Padma Lakshmi: I Was Raped at 16 and I Kept Silent | New York Times

Read Opinion | Padma Lakshmi: I Was Raped at 16 and I Kept Silent by Padma Lakshmi (New York Times)
I understand why a woman would wait years to disclose a sexual assault.

👓 The harm of harmless jokes | lu popolvuh – Medium

Read The harm of harmless jokes by lu popolvuh (lu popolvuh – Medium)
A #MeTooSTEM story about requesting a change in tradition
I’ve followed bits of this story for a while since it touches on an area I follow, but I had no idea the harassment was so terrible. The Romeo and Juliette business is just deplorable.

👓 Jason Bateman Showed How “Family” Is Used To Excuse The Inexcusable | Buzzfeed

Read Jason Bateman Showed How “Family” Is Used To Excuse The Inexcusable by Anne Helen Petersen (BuzzFeed)
When Bateman dismissed Jeffrey Tambor’s outburst at Arrested Development costar Jessica Walter by saying “this is a family,” he reminded us how often that word is used to paper over serious problems.
There’s an interesting new viewpoint hiding in here. We’re going to need to redefine how we view families and their power structures as a result of the painful things they can hide. I’m reminded of some of the toxicity of the way that children can be indoctrinated within their families as well as ideas like “quiverfull” which are generally creepy conceptual ways of living.

🎧 ‘The Daily’: Sexual Harassment’s Toll on Careers | New York Times

Listened to ‘The Daily’: Sexual Harassment’s Toll on Careers by Michael Barbaro from nytimes.com

In a case that highlights the economic consequences of sexual harassment and retaliation, Ashley Judd is suing Harvey Weinstein for the damage he did to her career after she rebuffed his advances.

And in the second part of the episode, three women who pioneered the language of consent reflect on being far ahead of their time on the politics of sex.

On today’s episode:

• Jodi Kantor, one of the investigative reporters at The New York Times who broke the story about the raft of sexual harassment accusations against Mr. Weinstein, discusses the implications of a new lawsuit.

• We hear from Juliet Brown, Christelle Evans and Bethany Saltman, who helped to establish an affirmative consent policy for sex at Antioch College in 1990.

Background reading:

• Ms. Judd filed a lawsuit on Monday accusing Mr. Weinstein of harming her career by spreading lies about her after she rejected his sexual requests. Her claim is corroborated by the director Peter Jackson, who revealed last year that Mr. Weinstein had warned him not to hire the actress for his “Lord of the Rings” franchise.

• Antioch College students developed a sexual consent policy in the 1990s. It was mocked by much of the rest of the world. Since then, campuses across the country have caught up, and a new generation of Antioch students is pushing the conversation further.

• A Times video journalist recalls being asked to sign a verbal consent form during a visit to Antioch College in 2004, long before the language of sexual consent had entered the mainstream.

It’s long been an open secret in casting related discussions that people’s character and habits are maligned to push decisions in one direction or another, and often in ways that harm not only the person’s career, but their future potential for hiring. In most other industries, this would be easily litigated or at least brought up. I’m glad to see it may be banned outright as a result of cases like these.

Having gone to college in the 90’s myself I also remember the Antioch College agreements. Though they may have gone a bit too far, it’s obvious they were generally right in re-balancing the power in relationships as well as being well ahead of their times.

👓 The Sex Life of Samuel Pepys | Royal Museums Greenwich

Read The Sex Life of Samuel Pepys (Royal Museums Greenwich | UNESCO World Heritage Site In London)
This Valentine's Day our curator, Kristian Martin, looks at the notorious sex life of the famous diarist Samuel Pepys.
Odd that he didn’t try to hide this better. It’s also more interesting to read this in the year of .

❤️ AP tweet Bill Cosby convicted of drugging and molesting a woman in first big celebrity trial of #MeToo era

Liked a tweet by The Associated PressThe Associated Press (Twitter)

🎧 ‘The Daily’: Fired Over an Instagram Post | New York Times

Listened to 'The Daily’: Fired Over an Instagram Post by Michael Barbaro from nytimes.com
The dismissal of a professional cheerleader has drawn attention to the sports industry, which seemed to be operating outside the #MeToo movement. Until now, that is.

Holy crap! Radicals in the US decry Sharia law as making its way into our system–little did they know that it has apparently taken root within the NFL first. I always thought the whole professional cheerleader bit was horrible and generally pathetic from a broader social perspective, but with the types of workplace repression and environment cheerleaders are apparently working within, prostitution almost sounds like a Sunday picnic. Given what they do for the NFL and what they go through to have their jobs in the first place, I’m appalled that they’re making minimum wage–or less really since very little of their wardrobe and direct needs are covered by the organization.

There are a myriad number of additional social reasons to do so, but I’m going to boycott the NFL until they can manage to remedy this kind of toxic environment.

👓 Charlie Rose to host series alongside men taken down by #MeToo movement: report | The Hill

Read Charlie Rose to host series alongside men taken down by "Me Too" movement: report (TheHill)
Charlie Rose — whose PBS show was canceled following allegations of sexual harassment — is expected to star in a series where he interviews other men who have faced sexual harassment scandals,
Who in their right mind would pick up and distribute such a show?! I’d look up the original reporting, but it was a gossip rag that started the story, so I’m not going to give it further justice.

🎧 CPAC in the #MeToo Era | The Daily – New York Times

Listened to ‘The Daily’: CPAC in the #MeToo Era by Michael Barbaro from New York Times
At the Conservative Political Action Conference this weekend, one thing was clear: President Trump has taken over the conservative movement. His vision dominated, and, as one woman learned, there was little room for alternative views. Guest: Mona Charen, a conservative columnist who was booed while speaking on a panel at the conference.

Phenomenal and interesting interview. I think Mona Charen’s broader philosophy about holding one’s own party to the highest standards is certainly the right position. It’s people like her that will have any chance of reviving what the GOP used to stand for. I hope they’re all the better for it as they come out of the ashes.

👓 PBS Chief Talks Charlie Rose, Tavis Smiley, #MeToo | Variety

Read PBS Chief Talks Charlie Rose, Tavis Smiley, #MeToo by Daniel Holloway (Variety)
PBS in recent months parted ways with two of its highest-profile on-air personalities, Charlie Rose and Tavis Smiley, amid sexual-misconduct allegations. Speaking Tuesday at the Television Critics Association’s winter press tour, PBS chief executive Paula Kerger addressed both departures as well as the #MeToo movement against sexual harassment and assault. “When we are aware of issues, we’ll move quickly, as we did with Charlie Rose, as we did [with] Tavis Smiley,” Kerger said.
Oddly, I hadn’t heard much about the Tavis Smiley allegations. Most of the news was just that he was out, but without any direct story. Perhaps I missed it during the holidays??