Update on Jian Ghomeshi Allegations

[CN: intimate partner violence, sexual assaults, BDSM imagery, disbelief of survivors.]

There have been a number of new developments related to the allegations against Jian Ghomeshi.

Lawyer and author Reva Seth stepped forward yesterday under her own name with a new allegation of assault against Ghomeshi.

Lucy Decoutere, who previously stepped forward under her own name with her story, has seen an an outpouring of support on Twitter and from her Trailer Park Boys castmates.

(Of course, there are still people demanding that survivors must report to the police or be disbelieved. Former Crown prosecutor Sandy Garassino has helpfully laid out why that’s bullshit.)

Ghomeshi said in a Facebook post that he would ”meet allegations directly,” whatever that means.

Carleton University has launched an investigation into their student field placements at Q. This is apparently a response to the discovery of Tweets dating back to April referencing Ghomeshi and accusing him of assaulting multiple Carleton undergraduates.

The CBC has offered counseling to employees and hired a third party investigator to look into the claims against Ghomeshi.

That’s especially important since one of the claims is from a former employee who describes reporting sexual harassment at the CBC, and getting nowhere. Let’s hope the new investigation is a tad more helpful.

Meanwhile, both current and former CBC management are staying mum. The union representing CBC employees, who are also accused of dropping the ball when alerted of the harassment allegations, are similarly tight-lipped.

ETA: The Globe and Mail has a story tracing the lead-up to Ghomeshi's firing here, which may shed some light on what the CBC brass were thinking, and why Ghomeshi's "evidence" of consent may not have been convincing.

Ghomeshi has been dropped as a client by Navigator, the “crisis management” PR firm he recently retained, and Rockit Promotions, who have represented him for several years.

An anonymous source from Navigator says this is because Ghomeshi lied to them when he sought representation. Colour me unshocked.

But Amanda Palmer is standing by him. What an asshole. [ETA: with much tone-argument, she has relented and uninvited Ghomeshi from her upcoming Toronto show.]

If there are more developments over the weekend, I will try to report them here. As ever, please remember to keep this space safe.