I believe everything said here.— Emily Short (@emshort) August 28, 2019
While none of these things happened to me, the stories I have heard chime with my own experiences of Alexis: at times sitting too close to me when I’d come to Failbetter to talk about freelance work; >> https://t.co/G92i7k2rYE
making a comment in front of my then-boss implying I was inviting him back to my hotel room; pushing boundaries in describing a sexual story arc he wanted me to write; remarking on my weight. All deniable; all things I did think must be my own misreading of the situation.— Emily Short (@emshort) August 28, 2019
But I have worked in this industry for ten years and I have been the lone woman in a room many times, have had many business meetings with men, have had many friendships that grew beyond a work connection. Alexis was one of the few who has ever made me uncomfortable in this way.— Emily Short (@emshort) August 28, 2019
When I started to hear about Alexis’ treatment of younger women, I thought of the times he’d invited me to stay over at his flat in London, or hinted he might welcome the offer or a place to stay at mine in the US.— Emily Short (@emshort) August 28, 2019
And I thought about how, even though I thought of Alexis as a pretty good friend and even though I’ve accepted those sorts of offers from other male friends in the past, when I needed a place to stay for an expensive conference, I for some reason didn’t feel comfortable doing so.— Emily Short (@emshort) August 28, 2019
What I am saying: these accusations, which I would have believed in any case — especially given how widely I’ve heard them and from how many different people — carried an extra weight with me because I recognise the boundary-testing described here.— Emily Short (@emshort) August 28, 2019
Meanwhile, in Los Angeles:
CA Judge Calls Sexual Harassment Allegations at Trial 'Insulting' and Racist
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A California appeals court judge denied allegations that he sexually harassed dozens of women over nearly two decades, calling some of the accounts outright lies and, at times, the product of long-held racial stereotypes of African American men.