The faux-feminist man who’s accused of being a secret predator is by now, after the revelations of the Me Too motion, a well-known determine. Just a few years in the past, when Me Too was raging by Hollywood, former liberal darlings Louis C.Ok. and Joss Whedon noticed their complete legacies re-evaluated after being accused of sexual misconduct on C.Ok.’s half and bullying on Whedon’s. (Whedon has denied all of the allegations.) Now, two new well-known feminist males have been accused of gendered misconduct — however these revelations come at a second when our tradition seems to be far much less eager about performing a reckoning.
Essentially the most severe of the brand new tales are the accusations in opposition to Neil Gaiman, a prolific and beloved determine within the fantasy and comedian e-book world. Gaiman constructed his profession on the concept he was an ally to ladies, however final 12 months, a podcast from the UK-based Tortoise Media accused him of bodily and emotional abuse and sexual assault. Now, these claims have been amplified by a deeply reported and detailed function in New York journal alleging that Gaiman abused a number of susceptible younger ladies over whom he was ready of energy. Gaiman, in a publish on his web site, maintains that his relationships with these ladies had been consensual.
In the meantime, actor, director, {and professional} male feminist Justin Baldoni has been accused by actress Blake Energetic of sexually harassing her on set — strolling into her trailer whereas she was bare, improvising kissing scenes, and discussing his historical past of porn habit. In keeping with a lawsuit from Energetic and an accompanying story within the New York Occasions, Baldoni feared that Energetic would go public together with her complaints, so he employed a PR agency that buried Energetic below a wave of sexist criticism. (Baldoni has mentioned by a lawyer that Energetic’s allegations are “categorically false” and disputed her characterization as “self-serving”; he’s suing the New York Occasions over its reporting, alleging that it was Energetic who mistreated him.)
The accusations in opposition to Gaiman are far more severe and violent than the accusations in opposition to Baldoni. But each males discover themselves in the identical acquainted place we noticed with different fake feminists. They constructed their public photographs on being “the great ones” in a misogynistic world: males who understood that different males had been violent and untrustworthy, who appeared dedicated to doing the perfect they may to not fall into the identical traps. Now, they stand accused of utilizing these long-crafted photographs as public shields for his or her personal misbehavior.
The query that continues to be is: What is going to occur to the feminist males who lose their feminist cred on this time of Me Too backlash? What was all that feminist capital value to start with?
How Neil Gaiman and Justin Baldoni constructed their photographs as male feminists
The reputations Gaiman and Baldoni constructed as feminists return years. Each of them had been cautious to be nuanced about their standing as male feminists, to seem to make room for their very own errors, and to decide to being higher than their fellow males.
“So far as I can see, being in society on this planet at the moment makes you a part of the patriarchy as a result of that’s the world we’re in,” wrote Gaiman on his well-liked Tumblr in 2021. “You don’t get to go away it or not be a part of it by saying you’re leaving, any greater than you permit a society by saying that you simply don’t wish to observe its legal guidelines. As a substitute, you do what you possibly can, each personally and in society, to enhance issues, and also you hope.”
In his fiction, Gaiman seemed to be at the very least making an attempt to stroll the stroll. He populated his books with highly effective ladies who don’t undergo fools. He tackled topics like sexual violence at a time once they felt taboo.
Even Gaiman’s followers may acknowledge that for all his effort, he wasn’t at all times all that good at writing ladies — he appeared reluctant to middle them in most of his tales and was at all times writing detailed descriptions of their breasts. Nonetheless, most readers agreed that he was well-intentioned.
“Neil strikes me as a illustration of the saying ‘excellent is the enemy of excellent,’” mused a commenter two years in the past on the subreddit Males Writing Girls, the place ladies collect to mock dangerous descriptions of girls by male writers. “I personally love his writing and I don’t assume he does something egregious that ought to earn him a spot right here. … That mentioned he has his shortcomings however I believe lots of people ignore these as a result of the tales are so nice (should you like his fashion).”
In the meantime, Baldoni constructed his identify because the romantic lead of the much-acclaimed CW present Jane the Virgin, enjoying a hero who fortunately supported his girlfriend’s desires. On the aspect, he turned kind of knowledgeable male feminist. He delivered a viral TED discuss in 2017 on the issue of poisonous masculinity. The TED discuss turned a limited-run discuss present, Man Sufficient, the identical 12 months, after which a podcast and a e-book, additionally titled Man Sufficient, in 2021.
“I’ve needed to take an actual, sincere take a look at the ways in which I’ve unconsciously been hurting the ladies in my life, and it’s ugly,” Baldoni mentioned in that viral TED discuss. He went on to explain his nice sin: His spouse had advised him that generally, with out noticing it, he talked over her.
“So right here I’m doing my half, making an attempt to be a feminist, amplifying the voices of girls all over the world,” Baldoni went on, “and but at dwelling, I’m utilizing my louder voice to silence the lady I really like probably the most. So I needed to ask myself a troublesome query: Am I man sufficient to only shut the hell up and hear?”
He went on to explain his nice sin: His spouse had advised him that generally, with out noticing it, he talked over her.
Baldoni positioned himself as a person so enlightened that the worst factor he did was generally unintentionally interrupt his spouse. Gaiman positioned himself as a person enlightened sufficient that he knew that he, too, have to be poisoned by the patriarchy, however who was nonetheless decided to do what he may to face up in opposition to it.
The brand new accusations in opposition to each Gaiman and Baldoni provide counternarratives to those tales.
The New York journal article describes Gaiman as allegedly performing deeply violent and degrading sexual acts on unwilling ladies, utilizing his superstar and wealth to exert emotional and monetary stress on them. Furthermore, it contains allegations that on a number of events, Gaiman initiated sexual encounters with a few of these ladies in the identical room as his younger son, and that he appeared amused when his son started to ape his language, referring to one of many ladies as a “slave” and demanding she deal with him as “grasp.” (Gaiman denies these claims.)
He’s utilizing his male feminist persona not simply as a protect however as bait.
On this model of the story, Gaiman is now not the male feminist making an attempt his greatest and from time to time falling wanting perfection. Not is he a person “doing what he can, each personally and in society, to enhance issues.” As a substitute, he’s allegedly implicating his personal son in acts of sexual violence. And he’s utilizing his male feminist persona not simply as a protect however as bait.
Within the New York journal investigation, two of Gaiman’s accusers use the identical metaphor to explain how he used his personal well-meaning public persona to attract in his alleged victims. “Two of the ladies, who’ve by no means spoken to one another, in contrast him to an anglerfish, the deep-sea predator that makes use of a bulb of bioluminescence to lure prey into its jaws,” writes New York journal journalist Lila Shapiro. “‘As a substitute of a lightweight,’ one says, ‘he would dangle a floppy-haired, soft-spoken British man.’”
In the meantime, Energetic’s lawsuit and a previous grievance filed with the California Civil Rights Division alleges that Baldoni employed a public relations agency for the specific function of stopping Energetic from talking out about his personal dangerous conduct. Removed from being the person wracked with guilt over his personal anti-feminist microaggressions, Energetic’s account means that Baldoni paid a disaster PR agency to orchestrate a smear marketing campaign in opposition to her, making the most of the general public’s personal rampant misogyny to take action. Baldoni, for his half, has made his personal allegations in opposition to Energetic in his lawsuit in opposition to the Occasions, alleging that she confirmed a “sample of vindictiveness” on set and took key occasions out of context to ahead a good narrative.
Baldoni appears able to struggle to protect his previous popularity, however he’s been dropped by his expertise company and his podcast co-host (and former Vox correspondent) Liz Plank has left the present. Gaiman, who has denied that his relationships along with his accusers had been abusive, has reportedly employed the identical disaster administration staff utilized by Prince Andrew and Danny Masterson. In the meantime, quite a few productions based mostly on his work have been halted or canceled. (Gaiman has not printed a full-length solo-authored novel since 2013, however a lot of his books are presently or not too long ago getting tailored for each stage and display.) Within the progressive science fiction circles the place his work was revered, he’s been denounced. Other than the private assertion printed on his web site, W.W. Norton, which labored with Gaiman on considered one of his books, has mentioned they won’t publish him once more. HarperCollins, his main writer within the US, has mentioned solely that it has no new books by Gaiman scheduled.
As we put together to enter the second Trump period, the way forward for these two males — and what it demonstrates about the place we’re in our cultural reckoning with sexual assault and sexual harassment — is but to be seen.
What’s a intercourse scandal value throughout a Me Too backlash?
Whereas the Me Too motion was first developed by activist Tarana Burke in 2006, it exploded into the mainstream in 2017 after producer Harvey Weinstein was accused of sexual violence by a number of well-known actresses. Largely, nevertheless, the motion was much less about Weinstein than it was a response to the primary election of Donald Trump, who on the time had been accused of sexual assault by a number of lady however had by no means confronted authorized investigation into his alleged crimes.
Because the motion burned scorching and indignant, one highly effective man after one other was accused of sexual misdeeds. Many had their reputations destroyed. Some misplaced their jobs. A naked few confronted trial, and even fewer than that confronted jail time. Joss Whedon and Louis C.Ok. had been each faraway from high-profile tasks, though C.Ok. continues to tour in entrance of sold-out venues after taking a year-long break.
We’re now not in 2017. In 2025, we’re squarely caught within the midst of Me Too backlash. Donald Trump has now been discovered civilly accountable for sexual abuse, however he’s about to take workplace as president for the second time. Roe v. Wade is now not the legislation of the land. Social media is teeming with reactionary influencers, with tradwives and looksmaxxers and manosphere bros who educate teen boys to crow, “Your physique, my selection” at their feminine classmates. Democratic management in Congress has concluded that it’s not politically helpful to complain about the variety of alleged sexual predators in Trump’s proposed Cupboard. And quite a few the boys whose alleged dangerous conduct was uncovered by Me Too are, newly emboldened, starting to creep again into the general public eye.
Brett Ratner, accused of rape, sexual assault, and sexual harassment in 2017, is directing the high-profile new documentary on Melania Trump, in his first directorial credit score since 2015 (Ratner denied all the allegations on the time and was by no means charged). Michael Fassbender, who was accused of home violence in 2010 and stopped appearing throughout the top of Me Too, returned to Hollywood in 2023 (Fassbender has by no means commented on the allegations). Former Sen. Al Franken, accused of nonconsensual groping and forcible kissing in 2017, had a stint as visitor host of The Day by day Present, additionally in 2023. (Franken issued statements apologizing in some cases and saying that he doesn’t bear in mind different alleged incidents.) Former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, accused of sexual harassment in 2020, is now main the polls to develop into New York’s subsequent mayor. (Cuomo denied all allegations and the fees in opposition to him had been all dropped or dismissed.)
On this local weather, what was the feminist capital Gaiman and Baldoni constructed even for? It continues to depreciate.
Allegations of sexual misconduct are actually now not disqualifying for being a determine in public life. They’ll even be an indication of your anti-woke bona fides. Complaining about gendered violence means that you’re doing identification politics, alienating younger folks ever additional towards the proper.
Hollywood — and fantasy publishing, the place Gaiman dominated — are extra liberal environments than Trump’s Washington. Nonetheless, blockbusters are more and more abandoning liberal messaging on points like feminism, and most of the world’s greatest tech platforms are run by billionaires who maintain swinging proper together with the remainder of the nation. On this local weather, what was the feminist capital Gaiman and Baldoni constructed even for? It continues to depreciate.
We don’t know the place they go from right here, whether or not they are going to disappear for just a few months and even years after which stage comebacks, both quietly or with fanfare. However no matter they do, their fates will inform us rather a lot about how deep the Me Too backlash has gone, and the way robust Trump’s maintain on the tradition actually is.