Pictured above - A recent Instagram post of Ke$sha (Kesha Rose Sebert)
Kesha writes alongside the photo: "I have nothing left to hide. I did this because the truth was eating away my soul and killing me from the inside. this is not just for me. this is for every woman, every human who has ever been abused. sexually. emotionally. mentally. I had to tell the truth. so the outcome will be what it will be. there's nothing left I can do. it's just so scary to have zero control in your fate. but this is my path this life for whatever reason."
I've been a Ke$ha fan since 2010. Here's a blog post I wrote about her way back when.
I really jumped on the Kesha bandwagon after hearing her interview with Scott Simon on NPR. Here's the link. She was 22 at the time, and I really liked the way she talked about her relationship with her mom. Kesha appeared to me to be smart, sassy, and creative.
Over the past couple years, I haven't followed her career as much. I heard about her time in rehab in the news headlines in 2014. I didn't think much about it at the time...other than to feel bad that her life had taken a challenging turn. She was there seeking treatment for an eating disorder.
What I hadn't heard about until today was the lawsuit she filed against Sony and her producer, Luke Gottwald. Her request for a preliminary injunction was denied earlier today. That's really, utterly unfortunate.
Maybe you don't care. Or you think you don't care. Initially, I felt the same. Until I did a little further reading and learned what this case is really about. And now I'm enraged. Here's why you should care, too.
Kesha alleges that she was abused by her producer for the past 10 years. From the ages of 18-28. Here's an article worth reading about why her case matters. Here's a quote from it....
In her original complaint, Kesha's lawyers allege that "Dr. Luke sexually, physically, and verbally abused Ms. Sebert for over a decade in order to make her feel completely worthless and maintain complete control over her life."Due to her recording contract, Kesha needs to keep working with Sony - who she feels is a major part of the oppression/abuse - for 6 more records. They said she can work with a different producer. But to me...it sounds like she is stuck in a situation of abuse and oppression.
Other celebrities have chimed in; it's all over Twitter this afternoon #freeKesha
This is one story...of millions of stories of oppression and abuse happening around the world every day. No wonder victims of abuse so rarely come forward! How awful to share your story and be denied legal justice! How awful to share our story and then have people questioning and casting judgment about whether it's even true!
I think Kesha is doing a brave thing by coming forward...all the while with the lawyers, judge, crowds, and public sitting in judgment.
People ask why she didn't speak up sooner - or go to the police - or go to the hospital. I'd venture to guess that anyone who asks anything like that hasn't been victimized, abused, coerced, or violated. In Kesha's case, she was 17-years-old when she met the producer - 12 years her senior. He had power, money, and the keys to her career! What power did she have in that situation? We can't know all the details - we won't know all the details. It's not our right to know!
People who have experienced abuse don't say anything about it for a lot of reasons. One of the big reasons is that they're stuck in a toxic misogynistic cycle of systemic violence and abuse - being brainwashed - afraid that no one will believe them! It's a cycle. Sometimes it's terrible. Sometimes it's good. Human optimism bias combined with a brainwashed perspective leads a victim to believe things will improve.
Many times the perpetrator of the abuse can be highly charming. The victim feels that he/she will be dismissed. Many times, the victim eventually starts to feel that it's his/her own fault. It's a terrible cycle - and one that has been well-studied and documented.
If a person says they've been emotionally, psychologically, and physically abused, we DO NOT get to stand in judgment of that. We have to stand with that person - helping them rebuild a sense of safety and self. When a person says aloud that they have experienced abuse, that takes immense and profound courage! It is a heinous thing to judge or question the validity of his/her story!
I'm standing with Kesha. And I pray for the Holy Spirit to provide me with more opportunities to educate myself and others about what it means to advocate for those who have experienced abuse of any kind at any point in their life journeys.
May we build a word where all people have courage to share and heal.
