Following last week's New York Magazine piece outlining - in graphic detail - allegations of sexual assault made against Neil Gaiman, the creator of The Sandman and numerous other acclaimed comic series and novels has been hit with more accusations.
Gaiman has been taken to court in a trio of states on allegations of rape, human trafficking and more by a former New Zealand nanny of his and musician Amanda Palmer’s son.
“This claim arises out of Defendant Neil Gaiman’s sexual abuse of Plaintiff, and his wife Amanda Palmer’s role in procuring and presenting Plaintiff to Gaiman for such abuse,” states a rape and human trafficking complaint filed in federal court Monday in Wisconsin by Scarlett Pavlovich. “Gaiman has a decades-long history of sexual misconduct consistent with the actions that will be described in the following paragraphs.”
As far as we know, Amazon’s upcoming TV adaptation of Anansi Boys has not been affected by the allegations, and nor has the second season of Netflix's The Sandman - although we recently learned that there will not be a third.
The NYM piece, titled "There is no Safe Word," contains a number of sickening accounts of the events that are said to have transpired. If you do decide to read it (you'll find a non-paywall version below), be warned that it includes disturbing descriptions of sexual assault.
Shortly after the article was published, Gaiman shared a lengthy response to his personal blog, in which he denies all of the allegations against him.
"As I read through this latest collection of accounts, there are moments I half-recognise and moments I don’t, descriptions of things that happened sitting beside things that emphatically did not happen. I’m far from a perfect person, but I have never engaged in non-consensual sexual activity with anyone. Ever.
I went back to read the messages I exchanged with the women around and following the occasions that have subsequently been reported as being abusive. These messages read now as they did when I received them – of two people enjoying entirely consensual sexual relationships and wanting to see one another again. At the time I was in those relationships, they seemed positive and happy on both sides. And I also realise, looking through them, years later, that I could have and should have done so much better. I was emotionally unavailable while being sexually available, self-focused and not as thoughtful as I could or should have been. I was obviously careless with people's hearts and feelings, and that's something that I really, deeply regret. It was selfish of me. I was caught up in my own story and I ignored other people's. I’ve spent some months now taking a long, hard look at who I have been and how I have made people feel. Like most of us, I’m learning, and I'm trying to do the work needed, and I know that that's not an overnight process. I hope that with the help of good people, I'll continue to grow.
I understand that not everyone will believe me or even care what I say but I’ll be doing the work anyway, for myself, my family and the people I love. I will be doing my very best to deserve their trust, as well as the trust of my readers. At the same time, as I reflect on my past – and as I re-review everything that actually happened as opposed to what is being alleged – I don't accept there was any abuse. To repeat, I have never engaged in non-consensual sexual activity with anyone. Some of the horrible stories now being told simply never happened, while others have been so distorted from what actually took place that they bear no relationship to reality. I am prepared to take responsibility for any missteps I made. I’m not willing to turn my back on the truth, and I can't accept being described as someone I am not, and cannot and will not admit to doing things I didn't do."
If you or someone you know has been the victim of sexual assault, you can contact RAINN's National Sexual Assault Hotline: Confidential 24/7 Support by clicking here or calling 800.656.HOPE (4673).