As of Friday, Feb. 19, 2016, Kesha has been the focal point of feature stories from every major news publication after years of being noticeably absent from the music scene. In a disturbing turn of events, a judge in Manhattan Supreme Court denied Kesha the right to make music with anyone other than her rapist. Yes, you read that right.
Kesha first came forward last October publicly accusing her Sony songwriter and producer Dr. Luke of drugging and raping her shortly after her 18th birthday. She says he continued to sexually, verbally and emotionally abuse her for 10 years following the incident, leading to her struggle with eating disorders for which she sought treatment early last year. Her binding contract with Sony requires her to make six more albums for a company that has made no efforts to support her or take legal action against one of their producers for sexually assaulting one of their artists. After seeking a preliminary injunction that would break her contract and allow her to make music without Dr. Luke’s involvement, Dr. Luke and his legal team ultimately prevailed, claiming her allegations to be completely false. They say that she is simply looking for an easy way out of her contract.
Recommended for you
"If Kesha now regrets her career being mired in legal proceedings, it’s entirely her making,” a spokesperson for Dr. Luke proclaimed to The Hollywood Reporter. “It was Kesha who chose to file a lawsuit falsely alleging abuse to gain an advantage in contract negotiations, and now she must accept the consequences of her improper actions.” They are right about one thing. By not remaining silent and enduring what would only exacerbate her emotional and psychological trauma, Kesha is indeed putting her career she has worked tirelessly for on the line, risking fading into obscurity. And it’s completely messed up.
Sadly, the undermining and mockery of women’s physical and mental health issues in the music industry is nothing new. We have seen countless examples of this throughout the years, like when Britney Spears was mocked in the press for her struggles with mental illness, or when Chris Brown only suffered a small hiccup in his now thriving career after beating his then-girlfriend, Rihanna, which landed her in the hospital. Only after their deaths did Amy Winehouse and Whitney Houston gain any kind of sympathy from the general public, after years of being ridiculed for behavior linked to their substance abuse problems.
Kesha will have the opportunity to return to court, as her lawsuit was not completely dismissed. She has gained the support of fellow pop stars including Ariana Grande, Lady Gaga, Lorde and more, as well as thousands of people from around the world. Unfortunately, we live in a world where it took 50 women accusing Bill Cosby of sexual assault before he was arrested, but I applaud Kesha for her bravery and admire her for showing sexual assault victims everywhere that they do have a voice, and that people are here to listen.
If you would like, you can sign this petition to boycott Sony products and music.
