Allegations Of Sexual Misconduct Research Articles

Conceptualizing gossip as a counterdiscourse: Alternative ways of publicly alleging sexual misconduct in an online groupie community

Gossiping has historically been constructed as a morally problematic and evil-natured activity in ways that stigmatize and oppress the communicative activities of women. The association of public accusations of sexual misconduct with gossip can effectively discredit and refute the accusation by the victims. However, gossip is taken as a credible source to expose the misconduct of musicians in a Chinese online groupie community, where fans can freely expose musicians’ sexual misbehaviors in a way that they cannot outside of this place. By conceptualizing gossip as a counterdiscourse, this study explored how gossip can help female fans reject the widely accepted ways of making public allegations of sexual misconduct and counter the unequal distribution of communicative spaces for them to make these claims. This study calls for more attention to the contribution that gossip can make in helping marginalized social groups counter the restriction and stigmatization of their communicative actions.

Insiders and Outsiders: Feminists in the Academy Influencing Gender‐Sensitive Parliamentary Change

While the idea of a gender-sensitive parliament is over 20 years old (Childs & Palmieri, 2023), institutional reforms in the name of gender equality have been slow to materialise around the world. Where change has occurred, it appears to have been catalysed by a limited range of—sometimes confluent—factors including the public airing of allegations of sexual misconduct in the #MeToo era, the increasing salience of gender-sensitive parliament international norms, and the role of feminists in the academy. Celis and Childs (2020) identify feminist academic critical actors as those who rather than simply researching parliamentary change, explicitly undertake institutional (re)design and (re)building work (see also Childs, 2024). In this article, we uncover the work undertaken by feminists in an Australian academic institution to support the 2021 independent inquiry of the Australian Human Rights Commission into Commonwealth parliamentary workplaces. This work—undertaken by the authors as both insiders and outsiders—informed the analysis and recommendations in the Australian Human Rights Commission’s report, and since its launch, has also kept pressure on the various bodies entrusted with implementing gender-sensitive changes. We argue that feminists in the academy are uniquely positioned to navigate insider and outsider roles in support of gender-sensitive parliamentary reform.

Examining and Comparing the First Public Olympic and Competitive Sports Misconduct Registry with the National Sex Offense Registry

ABSTRACT In 2017, the U.S. Center for SafeSport launched the first public disciplinary sports registry listing individuals accused of engaging in harmful behavior against child and adult athletes. Our study reviews information from 1,161 individuals on SafeSport’s sports registry. Of the individuals on the sports registry, 22% were concurrently listed on the national registry for sexual offenses. Relative to individuals listed only on the sports registry, those on both registries were 4.5 and 1.4 times more likely to have sexual misconduct allegations and allegations involving a child, respectively. Of those on both registries, 31% were on the national registry approximately seven years before appearing on the sports registry. We discuss whether and how public registries represent effective strategies for crime prevention.

A Mixed-Methodological Inquiry of Correctional Population Responses Toward the Prison Rape Elimination Act

For the Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA) to prevent sexual victimization in the correctional system, incarcerated persons and corrections staff must hold favorable views of this law, and behave in manners conducive toward its mission. In regards to behavior, both populations must report allegations of sexual misconduct, and be cautious in their interactions with one another. Currently, no study has researched whether these perceptual and behavioral expectations are being followed, or the factors influencing them. Mixed-methodological questionnaire data gathered from incarcerated persons ( n = 490) and corrections staff ( n = 222) who were in three state prisons located in the southeastern United States revealed how our custodial sample, compared to staff, were less likely to view PREA favorably, or to adopt behaviors supportive of this policy. Statistically significant correlates of self-reported behaviors included age, sex, and race. Discussion of results centers around ways of creating institutional cultures embracing of PREA.

Altered stakes: Identifying gaps in the informed consent process for psychedelic-assisted therapy trials

AbstractBackground and aimsPsychedelic-assisted therapy (P-AT) has been shown to reduce post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, and anxiety symptoms, and is likely to be approved in the United States (US) in the coming years. However, concerns about participant safety in these early trials have surfaced, including allegations of sexual misconduct. This paper aims to illuminate how potential risks have been communicated to P-AT participants via informed consent documents and to suggest how existing policy might be modified given the unique risks involved in P-AT trials.MethodsPublicly available informed consent forms (ICFs) were gathered by searching clinicaltrials.gov. Queries were applied to filter trials involving the use of a classical psychedelic (psilocybin, LSD) or psychedelic-adjacent substance (MDMA, ketamine) in tandem with psychotherapeutic intervention and those with a status of “completed,” “recruiting,” or “active.”ResultsNineteen ICFs met inclusion criteria and were reviewed to determine what risks, benefits, and safety protocols were communicated to participants in their respective trials. The primary finding from this review of ICFs from P-AT trials revealed that studies were in compliance with federal regulation. However, there were missing elements related to the vulnerability experienced while under the effects of psychedelics that warrant inclusion in future ICFs in P-AT trials.ConclusionAlthough the ICFs for P-AT trials examined in this study covered several important areas related to risk, benefits, safety, and accountability as required by federal regulations in the US, future research should consider ways to expand this content in order to assure that consent is truly informed prior to enrolling subjects.

Presidential crisis: An analysis of Biden & Trump’s crisis communications strategies in response to allegations of sexual misconduct

While campaigning for president of the United States, both Donald Trump (2016) and Joe Biden (2020) faced serious allegations of sexual misconduct. Consequently, the sexual misconduct allegations were classified as a crisis for the candidates themselves and their campaigns. This study identified the crisis communications strategies that each individual and their respective campaign utilized, analyzing the ways in which each candidate adhered to and deviated from the established framework of the crisis communications model (Strategic Crisis Communications Theory) (Coombs, 1995). Artifacts during the campaign season such as statements, press releases, responses, and news articles were collected and analyzed under the framework of the SCCT. Research indicates that each candidate was able to utilize “mismatched” strategies successfully, suggesting that the SCCT may be applied in political contexts. More research is needed to better understand the role SCCT plays in the political realm--especially within political organizations and campaigns.

Moral Foundations, Himpathy, and Punishment Following Organizational Sexual Misconduct Allegations

We build on deontic justice and moral foundations theories to shed light on responses to sexual misconduct at work by proposing a model that explains why some third parties punish accusing victims and support alleged perpetrators. We theorize that when third parties are given conflicting he-said, she-said information, they intuitively evaluate organizational injustice based on moral values. We further theorize that binding moral foundations (loyalty, authority, purity) give rise to sympathy toward men accused of sexual misconduct and anger toward female accusers. Across five studies (total n = 5,413) utilizing archival, field, and vignette designs, we examined third-party responses to sexual misconduct accusations ranging in severity across several industries. Third-party endorsement of binding moral foundations was linked to increased perpetrator-directed sympathy and victim-directed anger (Studies 1–4). These emotions jointly mediated the relationship between binding values and credibility perceptions of the accusing victim and the alleged perpetrator (Studies 2 and 3). Moreover, victim credibility was negatively associated with social sanctions and punishment severity levied toward the accusing victim, and perpetrator credibility was negatively associated with the same punishment outcomes for the alleged perpetrator (Studies 3 and 4). In Study 5, we found that managers framing the accusing victim as disloyal exacerbated negative judgments and emotions toward the victim and positive judgments and emotions toward the perpetrator for individuals who highly ascribe to binding moral foundations. We discuss the theoretical contributions and practical implications of moral concerns on third parties’ emotions, judgments, and motivations to punish actors involved in sexual misconduct allegations. Supplemental Material: The e-companion is available at https://doi.org/10.1287/orsc.2022.1652 .

Motivated inquiry: ideology shapes responses to the Christian Porter rape allegation

ABSTRACT Objective After learning of the rape allegation against the Attorney-General, Australians were divided in their support for an inquiry. We hypothesised that motivated reasoning on this issue would be associated with ideological preferences. We therefore examined whether perceptions of arguments about the inquiry could be explained by participants’ political orientation, preference for hierarchy (SDO), and motivation to justify the gender status quo (GSJ). Method Three months after the allegation was made public, we recruited a gender-balanced sample of 554 Australians to complete an online survey. Results Participants believed that an article arguing for an inquiry was stronger than an article arguing against an inquiry. However, this effect was weaker among those on the right of the political spectrum and those high on SDO. Political orientation was also associated with differing evaluations of the article’s authors: left-leaning participants found the pro-inquiry author more credible, but right-leaning participants did not. GSJ was not associated with differing evaluations of the articles or their authors. Conclusions These findings suggest that ideological preferences are associated with motivated reasoning when evaluating partisan allegations of sexual misconduct. Evaluations of such allegations appear to vary according to people’s political attitudes and preferences for social equality or hierarchy. KEY POINTS What is already known about this topic: (1) In early 2021, Australians were deeply divided in their support for an inquiry into the rape allegation against Christian Porter. (2) Individuals tend to respond to political sexual misconduct allegations with a partisan bias. (3) Gender system justification (GSJ) and social dominance orientation (SDO) are associated with the denial of injustice towards women, and the maintenance of social hierarchies, respectively. What this topic adds: (1) Ideological preferences can help to explain how people evaluate arguments about the inquiry. (2) Participants on the political left and those low on SDO evaluated a pro-inquiry article as significantly stronger than the anti-inquiry article, but this effect was reduced amongst those on the right and those high on SDO. (3) These findings provide evidence that political orientation and SDO are associated with motivated reasoning when evaluating partisan allegations of sexual misconduct.

Partisan bias in responses to sexual misconduct allegations against male politicians

Across two studies, we tested whether evaluations of sexual misconduct allegations against male politicians are made in a partisan biased manner. First, we investigated the likelihood a sexual misconduct allegation made by a female staffer was perceived as legitimate by Democratic and Republican participants when the accused politician’s party affiliation was aligned (versus unaligned) with the participant’s own affiliation (Study 1). We also tested whether partisan bias was conditional on the strength of the participant’s expressive partisanship (Study 2). In Study 1, 182 Democratic and 159 Republican affiliates (N = 341), recruited via Amazon Mechanical Turk, were randomly allocated to one of three conditions (Democratic, Republican, or unaffiliated accused politician). Findings indicated that Republican participants were less likely than Democrats to perceive a sexual misconduct allegation as legitimate, irrespective of the politician’s party affiliation. Nonetheless, participants were not more likely to perceive a sexual misconduct allegation against an unaligned politician as more legitimate than against a politician of their own party. However, in a replication of Study 1 with a larger sample (301 Democratic and 301 Republican affiliates), Republicans (but not Democrats) demonstrated partisan bias in judgements of the legitimacy of misconduct allegations. Expressive partisanship did not moderate this partisan effect.

Communicating Felt Knowledge to Decolonize #MeToo: A Native Feminist Approach to the Sherman Alexie Allegations

In February 2018, several women leveled allegations of sexual misconduct against Sherman Alexie, an author known for championing Native causes, challenging racism, and serving as a mentor for Native writers. Through a textual analysis, this article examines how two essayists, Deborah A. Miranda and Tracy Rector, embrace a Native feminist approach in responding to the allegations. I argue that these texts complicate the dominant narrative of the #MeToo movement and Western ideas of justice through a rhetoric of felt knowledge, or the sharing of personal narratives in which the emotional content is shaped by the settler colonialist experience, that explores other ways of knowing.

Sexual misconduct in politics: how intergroup biases affect judgments of a scandalized politician and partisan ambivalence

ABSTRACT Guided by social identity theory, this study sought to understand how ingroup biases relating to political identity moderates the relationship between individuals’ judgments of a politician’s credibility and their perceived partisan ambivalence when they are exposed to news coverage about a politician who addresses their sexual misconduct allegations. A total of 198 participants were randomly assigned in a 2 by 2 between-subjects posttest-only factorial design. Results indicated that individuals who viewed the news story about a politician in their ingroup were more likely to perceive them as credible, and express higher levels of partisan ambivalence than those who viewed the story about an outgroup politician. In addition, the moderation effects suggest that despite problematic behaviors, politicians still receive significant support from their ingroup members, which has the potential to influence political outcomes in reality. Implications of the findings are discussed.

#MeToo in the Newsroom: Image Repair and Allegations of Sexual Misconduct

ABSTRACT This study examines how—and the extent to which—news organizations covered allegations of sexual misconduct in instances of their own employees being caught in the #MeToo spotlight. The study applies Benoit’s image repair theory to investigate what repair strategies—if any—were reflected in the news coverage. It also examines media self-criticism, exploring whether organizations engaged in self-reflection. Content analysis of 138 news items published April 2017–October 2018 included coverage of 55 accused journalists at 33 organizations. In all, 35% of news organizations did not produce any stories about their accused journalist. For those that did, news stories emphasized corrective actions and attempts to reduce offensiveness. Accused journalists were sourced more frequently than their accusers, with the former denying allegations in 42% of stories. Accused journalists also employed the strategy of attacking their accusers. Organizational self-criticism or reflection was evidenced in just over one-third of the stories.

Briefs

Federal judge dismisses Title IX lawsuit against Penn State Students die after ingesting fake Adderall pills University removes frat after racist, sexist behavior University reaches partial settlement on sexual misconduct allegations

Causes of The Alarming Rise of False Sexual Allegations Against Teachers in South African Schools

<p>False sexual allegations against teachers have contributed to teachers leaving the profession early and a decline in males choosing the profession. The main focus of this study was to investigate learners' false allegations of sexual misconduct against teachers. This study was underpinned by Fabricated Rape Theory and adopted qualitative methodology data through semi-structured interviews. Four teachers, one deputy principal, and one principal making six participants in the South district of the Gauteng province of South Africa were selected using convenient selection methods. The collected data were analysed using the Thematic Analysis method, which enables the researcher to respond to the study's objectives one after the other. The study revealed that fear, emotional neglect, and revenge contribute to false sexual allegations against teachers and that the maintenance of professional conduct among teachers and policy change are the possible solutions. Therefore, the study recommends that students should be provided with adequate orientation and re-orientation about the implication of false allegations, that teachers should always maintain good conduct, and that there should be an improvement in school policies and code of conduct to include punishable consequences for false accusations.<strong></strong></p>

The State of the Art: Mediation Under Title IX Regulations

Despite considerable investments of time and resources, universities have struggled to develop a uniform approach to addressing student allegations of sexual misconduct on campus. These allegations, if handled improperly, may cause universities to be liable for Title IX violations. The constantly changing Title IX Regulations have made university efforts to address sexual misconduct all the more difficult.

The “lucky ones” and those that weren’t: sexual misconduct in the Canadian Armed Forces

ABSTRACT Canada’s need and desire to increase women’s participation in the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) and to ensure CAF members feel safe and supported has been eroded by recent sexual misconduct allegations against CAF leadership. Not only does sexual misconduct in the Canadian Armed Forces negatively affect all CAF members, especially survivors, of whom a majority are women, but it also undermines Canada’s credibility on a global stage and its ability to be a global leader in regards to gender equality. This paper includes the perspectives and experiences of women in the Canadian Armed Forces on sexual misconduct and past efforts to address the problem. It will also address how Canada’s recent apology for sexual misconduct is a positive and promising step forward in its attempt to fix the cultural issues that underlie sexual misconduct in the first place

What Do You Think About Change? The Influence of RMC Students’ Conformity to Masculine Norms and Social Dominance Orientation on Embracing Culture Change in the Canadian Armed Forces

The Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) has recently committed to improving its organizational culture after several sexual misconduct allegations were made against its senior leaders (Government of Canada, 2021). Currently, the general goal of cultural reform has been frequently mentioned and used as a notion to inspire CAF members to look forward to the prospective transformations that will come about (Eyre, 2021). On the contrary, research in this area suggests that the military’s institutionalization of uncompromising masculine standards may be an obstacle in the way of true ‘culture change’ (Pendlebury, 2020; Richard & Molloy, 2020). This study evaluated whether service members’ openness to the culture change in the CAF is hindered by their personal endorsement of masculine norms and a dominant social worldview. Military students (n = 145) at the Royal Military College of Canada (RMC) took part in this research by completing measures of Social Dominance Orientation, Masculinity, and Attitudes towards the CAF culture change. The results of an indirect effects analysis indicated that higher conformity to masculine norms was associated with less acceptance toward the CAF’s movement towards culture reform, which was explained by one’s preference for out-group superiority and inequality. These findings suggest that achieving culture change is not only a matter of ending sexual misconduct, but perhaps more importantly, involves challenging the implicit attitudes of hyper-masculinity and social dominance in the Canadian military.
 Keywords: masculine conformity, hegemonic masculinity, masculine norms, social dominance orientation, culture change, military, Canadian Armed Forces

When “I’m Sorry” Cannot Be Said: The Evolution of Political Apology

ABSTRACT Every social order depends on a pathway to atonement for those who breach behavioral expectations. However, observers from a variety of fields now agree that the United States has entered an age of non-apology, where the two words “I’m sorry” simply cannot be said, particularly by powerful men facing allegations of sexual misconduct. This essay draws attention to, and comments upon, this trend. We first identify the sociopolitical factors that have inaugurated the era of non-apology, namely growing political polarization. We then explain the consequences of this shift in societal expectations surrounding apology. This state of affairs, which associates genuine apology with emasculation and defeat, is harmful: it foments a toxic culture that will not allow redress for survivors of sexual assault and harassment; and it provides no answers to complex questions of how society can address the guilt of those who engage in sexual misconduct.

Two Sides of the Coin: Women, Men, and the Politics of Sexual Harassment

ABSTRACT History tells us that elected leaders who are tainted by scandal often pay a political price for their behavior. In the past few years, such allegations of sexual harassment have engulfed a large number of political (as well as entertainment, business, and even academic) figures. Many were forced to resign their positions, while others chose to end their campaigns for election or reelection. While the great majority of harassment victims are women, there are a few instances where the sex roles have been reversed – and with more women running for and winning public office (and thereby gaining positions of power and authority), it is possible that we will see more such role reversals in the future. Our study uses data from an internet-based survey of registered voters to examine citizens’ attitudes about sexual harassment and the extent to which those attitudes shape their reactions when allegations of harassment are made against a fictional member of Congress. With an innovative experimental design, we will examine whether reactions vary with (a) either the target’s or the voter’s gender or (b) the former’s response to the allegations of sexual misconduct made against him/her (denial, apology, counterframe).

Defamation Law and Epistemic Harm in the #MeToo Era

ABSTRACT The #MeToo movement has encouraged victim-survivors of sexual misconduct to make use of social media and mass media journalism to report incidents in ways that are contrary to established legal norms. In part, this is an acknowledgement that traditional legal processes achieve little in responding to gendered harm. However, media companies and victim-survivors have increasingly been sued by alleged perpetrators for defamation. Because Australian defamation law presumes the falsity of alleged defamatory statements, victim-survivors are often required to give evidence in defamation proceedings in an effort to displace the presumption and prove that the allegations were ‘substantially true’ as a defence. This article identifies the issues facing victim-survivors who become involved in defamation disputes arising from allegations of sexual misconduct or gendered harm. It emphasises that in this context, victim-survivors encounter the same testimonial injustice typically experienced in the criminal jurisdiction, which harms them specifically in their capacity as knowers or givers of knowledge.