In case you have not heard the recent news about Kesha's legal battle against her lawyer, I'll give you a brief overview.
Kesha originally sued her producer, Dr. Luke, back in 2014, wherein the producer very quickly filed a lawsuit against Kesha for defamation and breach of contract. Fast forward a year where Kesha countersued the producer, where she again claimed that he had abused her. Fast forward again, to February 2016, where a New York judge denied Kesha's motion for a preliminary injunction, forcing her to continue to work with her alleged rapist and abide by her contract, where she is to produce six more records.
Now, with all of that legal jargon out of the way, let's get to the bottom line of this lawsuit and why it goes beyond Kesha, beyond Sony, and beyond Hollywood.
Kesha claims that Dr. Luke started abusing her at 18. For those of you who don't know, Kesha is 28 now, meaning that she had to endure that physical and mental abuse for 10 years. Now, at this point, you may ask why she would not come forward for a whole 10 years? And that is a natural response to have. But to answer your question, simply pick up a newspaper and you will get your response. Why not come forward about the abuse? Because you will endure a grueling legal battle and media attention that does not make the pain any easier.
In the image above, you will see Kesha's reaction once the judge denied her motion to get out of her contract with her alleged rapist. For me, the picture is very hard to look at because it exhibits raw, honest pain. Why anyone would question her is beyond me.
What confuses me the most about the judge's decision is that Kesha is not requesting her abuser go to jail. She is not trying to punish him--even though the world may agree he deserves it. She is simply trying to be able to not make music with him anymore. Simple, right? Apparently not.
However, if there is a positive side to Kesha's battle, it is the unrelenting support she has received both from other celebrities as well as society as a whole. Other artists such as Demi Lovato and Lady Gaga have shared their support for the singer. Adele even took the time out of her speech at the Brit Awards to voice her support for Kesha. Taylor Swift made a remarkable donation of $250,000 to Kesha's cause. The list goes on and on.
It is with this outcry of support that perhaps we may actually be able to #FreeKesha. It is important that women, and men, who are victims of sexual assault are brave enough to come forward. As much as the judge's ruling in Kesha's case is off-putting to most, it is the overwhelming voice of the public that sheds some light on a rather dark situation.
Right when I start to grow furious at society and the treatment of women in the public, a bit of my faith in humanity is restored. As much as Kesha's experience is something that no woman or man should ever have to endure, it is a crime that unfortunately exists in today's world. It is important, however, that we use this moment to commend Kesha for her bravery and for society for supporting her freedom and her rights.
As much as the judge's ruling is appalling, I must give credit to celebrities and the like for supporting Kesha through her battle and vocalizing the fact that sexual assault is very real and proper legal action should be taken in order to stop those who commit it. I strongly believe that we will one day get to a place where women are not blamed for being victims of sexual assault. "Well she was drinking," "She was asking for it," and other ignorant, misogynistic misconceptions will soon dissapate. I strongly believe that the outcry of support for Kesha is proof that we will one day get to that place as a society. Where women aren't scared to come forward and where their word is not questioned based on status, race, background, or gender. So here's to that day, and here's to #FreedomForKesha.
