Latest news with #sexism
Telegraph
11 hours ago
- Telegraph
Rape scandal at Britain's most prestigious rowing club
Leander Club, which supplied more than half of Team GB's rowers at the Paris Olympics, has been accused of failing to properly investigate allegations of rape and harassment. Telegraph Sport has learnt of three separate incidents involving male rowers who allegedly raped female squad members at the esteemed Henley-based club over the past five years. It can be revealed: A male squad member was accused of raping a female squad member in 2022 and was allowed to continue rowing. A second male athlete was suspended and later excluded after being accused of harassing a female squad member before being readmitted on appeal. He was later accused of rape by another female Leander rower. A third individual was alleged to have raped a female member in 2019 while a member at Leander, with his victim then forced to spend a two-week training camp with him. A toxic culture of sexism and misogyny has pervaded at the club for years, with a senior member making sexually explicit jokes in an after-dinner speech at Leander's annual dinner in 2023. Female rowers wore white ribbons and pink vests in a protest in plain sight against what was described as ' the worst-kept secret in British rowing '. Concerns from female squad members, which were supported by more than a dozen of the men's rowing team, that sexual assault allegations were not being taken seriously were said to have been repeatedly ignored or dismissed by the Leander committee. Leander's 13-day investigation found 'insufficient evidence' A rape allegation against one man, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was reported to the club in April 2023 following an incident on a team night out. After a Leander social in 2022, the man was accused of sexually assaulting a female club member, who was 18 years old at the time, at a flat in Henley. Thames Valley Police confirmed to Telegraph Sport that the woman reported the rape allegation after informing Leander in April 2023, and several conversations took place between police and the alleged victim. The woman did not meet officers in person to give a statement and the complaint was later withdrawn at the request of the alleged victim, who said that she had decided to 'stop the whole thing' because she found the process stressful and traumatising. At the time, the accused was allowed to continue training and sharing facilities with the women's team at the clubhouse and on socials. He denies the allegations. Then, on October 24, 2023, a letter seen by Telegraph Sport and signed by 33 athletes – roughly half of Leander's squad that season – raised concerns to the club committee regarding the conduct of the individual. Eighteen female and 15 male members cited 'multiple, serious allegations' against the man and requested Leander 'investigate these allegations as a matter of urgency and take appropriate action for the safety and wellbeing of other athletes'. Athletes were particularly concerned that no obvious action had been taken regarding an investigation and that the accused had been able to 'train, eat and socialise in the same room as the victim', making them 'deeply uncomfortable in his presence'. The club responded on November 6, 2023, fewer than two weeks after concerns were raised, by informing athletes that an investigation by chairman Pete Bridge and welfare representative Keith Settle had been concluded and the matter would not progress to a disciplinary hearing because of 'insufficient evidence'. It is understood that one male witness volunteered to give evidence as part of the investigation into the rape allegation and sent a statement about what he saw that night to Leander. Several other women also submitted accounts as evidence, but it is understood that none of them were spoken to in the two weeks between sending the letter and the club closing the investigation. 'Once that happened, everyone was pretty pissed off,' said one female member who wished to remain anonymous. The alleged victim subsequently left Leander and no longer rows for the club. 'He would force her to talk to him' At around the same time Leander received a complaint about a second male rower, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, accusing him of harassment towards a female member and former partner. The man was accused of shouting at the woman in public places and intentionally cornering her at the club in places like the gym. Witnesses told Telegraph Sport about one incident where the man was 'visibly trying to corner her and wouldn't leave her alone' in front of other members. 'We do a lot of training on static bikes and he would wait until she would get on the bike and then start talking to her. He would force her to talk to him.' Another witness reported seeing the man shouting across the club at the woman. The man admitted harassing the woman and he was suspended by Leander before being thrown out of the club. However, an independent appeal panel ruled in his favour and permitted his return. Telegraph Sport understands that the woman who was subjected to harassment was then approached by another female rower who accused the man of previously raping her. It is understood that this allegation was never brought to the club or police and it is also understood that the man denies the allegation. Following his return to the club, the entire women's rowing team were addressed by the committee in a meeting, in which it is claimed that one senior individual said: 'It's so inconvenient that you all have problems with this, it's not my problem if you have a bad break-up.' One female rower told Telegraph Sport: 'I assumed people in power would care if we went to them and told them we felt unsafe. But the club was like, 'Just leave us alone.'' Protest at 'worst-kept secret in British rowing' The readmission of the individual accused of harassment and rape prompted a furious reaction among female members. The women's team boycotted training at Leander for a week, before deciding to stop wearing the traditional white vests of the club and instead wear pink kit as a form of protest and show of solidarity with team-mates. The move was against what they perceived as the club's preferential treatment of the two male rowers – in what appears to be rowing's 'Me Too' moment – making their point in plain sight by competing in an alternative pink strip throughout last year's regatta season. The women's team also staged a training boycott, with the support of the men's squad, when they were forced to share facilities. Several male members joined them in wearing the white ribbons in protest. 'We designed our own Leander kit so we didn't have to wear the same kit as him. It was the only compromise Leander would allow,' a source said. The women also started to wear white ribbons on their vests throughout the 2024 regatta season, in a sign of solidarity with victims of sexual abuse and rape. 'We stopped wearing the traditional Leander strip. We had these white ribbons,' the source added. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Leander Club (@leander_club) Word spread quickly throughout the rowing community and the female members at Leander received support from other crews, including Oxford and Cambridge Universities, who displayed their support by wearing white ribbons in solidarity. 'A lot of other clubs joined in and wore white ribbons during June and July last year. I mean, this is the worst-kept secret in British rowing. This is not going to be news to anyone that rows. If anyone has been in contact with a woman who rows at Leander they will know this story. It was an ongoing experience for all of us.' The individual, who denied the rape allegation, eventually left the club during the 2024 season. Rape allegations 'common knowledge' While investigating the 2023 allegations, Telegraph Sport was told of a third individual, who cannot be named for legal reasons, who was accused of rape in 2020 by another female member of the club. The alleged victim took the allegation to the club, but just two days later she was told to attend a two-week training camp with the man where they were forced to stay in the same building. Rowers who have been a part of Leander within the last five years are aware of all allegations, which have become 'common knowledge', and yet, at the end-of-season dinner in November 2023, several attendees were stunned by the after-dinner speech given by a veteran member. The individual, who has been a member of Leander for more than three decades and has served in multiple leadership positions, was alleged to have made multiple sexual remarks and indirect references to his penis in a speech that took place just days after the club closed its investigation into the athlete accused of rape in 2022. Leander and British Rowing respond In response to Telegraph Sport 's investigation, Leander said: 'Leander Club takes seriously all issues relating to the safeguarding of our athletes. We have strict procedures in place to carefully examine any formal complaints and regularly review our club disciplinary processes to ensure they are fit for purpose, treating our athletes fairly and with respect. 'In addition to an updated code of conduct, we have partnered with a specialist external provider to ensure members of the club know without doubt the standards we expect and the ways to highlight any individual misconduct. When issues are raised, we will continue to take immediate action where necessary to protect the welfare of our athletes. Mr Bridge, the Lander chairman, added: 'The athletes in our squads are at the heart of this club. When safeguarding issues arise, as with any organisation, there is a strict and confidential process that is followed to protect those involved. We continually review our safeguarding measures and have updated these in line with our ambition to ensure rowing is inclusive and accessible for the next wave of athletes pursuing their dreams of international sporting success.' A British Rowing spokesperson said: 'We are not able to comment on individual safeguarding concerns and processes conducted at clubs owing to their confidential nature. 'As such there is a very limited amount that we can say when we are approached in connection with issues that fall into this category. What we are able to say categorically is that the safety of people taking part in our sport is the very first item of importance on our agenda. We investigate anything reported to us fully and comprehensively, as you would expect and as it is our remit to do. This would have been the case if sufficient information had been raised with us to conduct an investigation in respect of the raised allegations. 'Our priority is to ensure all our members have a safe experience within our club network. We strongly encourage any members with concerns to speak up and report them to their Club Welfare Officer or our governance team at safeguarding@ Your voice matters.' 'Toxic' environments elsewhere in British rowing The revelations at Leander come just one month after British Rowing were forced to address 'bullying' allegations and fears of a 'toxic' environment at Oxford Brookes University Rowing Club, the country's second-most successful high-performance rowing centre. Oxford Brookes were accused of coaching practices that included a 'toughness sheet', which ranked athletes by their weight, with criticism that included 'put down the pies', and the 'jiggle test' where rowers were made to jump in front of a mirror to determine whether they needed to lose weight. An independently commissioned report was handed to Oxford Brookes in April this year, with the club now looking to address concerns among its rowers, but the two scandals in close proximity have raised serious questions around British rowing's culture as a sport for all. An Oxford Brookes statement read: 'Respect and inclusion are central to our university culture. As soon as concerns were raised about coaching practices at Oxford Brookes University Boat Club, we launched an independent investigation. 'We have since received the investigation report and taken steps to address the issues raised, including leadership changes and targeted training. We are proud of our high-performance rowers and remain committed to all members of the Boat Club, and we appreciate the continued support and guidance of British Rowing.'
Daily Mail
3 days ago
- General
- Daily Mail
World No1 Aryna Sabalenka calls for 'equal treatment' in scheduling as French Open sexism row rolls on - with NO women's matches featuring in prime time night slot
World No1 Aryna Sabalenka has voiced her discontent with the scheduling of her quarter-final clash with Zheng Qinwen amid a roiling sexism row at this year's French Open. The controversy is not new to the tournament, who have come under fire since the inception of the night session for failing to adequately schedule women's matches in the prime-time slot. Former Wimbledon finalist Ons Jabeur decried the lack of visibility given to women's tennis, hinting that tournament organisers were 'ignoring' the greatness of the game with the unequal billing. The world No36's well-crafted missive was shared on the heels of the head of the French tennis federation Gilles Moretton claiming that the tournament needed 'better matches' at night. Tournament director Amelie Mauresmo was similarly unwilling to criticise the schedule, refusing to answer a number of questions on the subject during a tense meeting with the media last week. But while many female players on the tour have been reticent to share their views beyond personal preferences against playing in the night session, Sabalenka was keen to allow people greater opportunities to watch women's tennis. After her straight-sets victory to Zheng, Sabalenka was first questioned over the half-empty stadium, with many of the lower tiers - typically more expensive or hospitality seats - unoccupied. While Sabalenka insisted that she didn't focus on the crowd, she did agree that the lunch time scheduling was not befitting of match between the best player in the world and the Olympic champion in Zheng. 'It was a big match, and probably (it) would have made more sense to put us a little bit later just so more people could watch it,' Sabalenka said. 'At the same time, I'm happy to finish earlier and then I have a half day off and I can just enjoy the city and do all the things that I have to do. (But) talking about that, I definitely think that would make more sense to move our match a little bit later.' On the subject of the night sessions not making it seem as if men and women's matches were treated equally, she was more forthright, continuing: 'I definitely agree with that, and I definitely have to say, we deserve the equal treatment. 'There was a lot of great battles, a lot of great matches (on the women's side) which would be cool to see as a night session, just more people in the stands watching these incredible battles. And just to show ourselves to more people. So I definitely agree that we deserve to be put in a bigger stage, you know, like better timing, more people watching.' Earlier in the tournament, US number one Jessica Pegula was similarly outspoken when she claimed that the treatment women players received at the Grand Slam made her feel like 'hitting her head against a wall'. Jessica Pegula said that receiving unequal treatment in Paris made her feel like she was 'hitting her head against the wall' 'Every year it's the same thing. It's never equal,' Pegula said on Saturday. 'We are an event that is supposed to be equal. Why not give us some more chances to be? 'It feels like just hitting my head against the wall because I feel like we have been talking about this for two, three, four (years) - probably forever, to be honest, because it's never been equal.' Mauresmo said in her charged press conference on Friday that 'the message has never been the girls are not worthy of playing at night'. But both of the women's quarter-finals scheduled for Tuesday and Wednesday have been the two first matches on Court Philippe-Chatrier, with men's matches played as the last of the day sessions, and the prime-time night session. Should the tournament wish to break its duck in the semi-finals, the powers that be have a gift in the form of Sabalenka's next match-up. The three-time Grand Slam title-holder is set to play defending champion and four-time Roland-Garros winner Iga Swiatek in just their second-ever Grand Slam meeting.
Globe and Mail
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Globe and Mail
Red Like Fruit is a devastating portrayal of how sexism warps women's stories and identities
Title: Red Like Fruit Written by: Hannah Moscovitch Performed by: Michelle Monteith, David Patrick Fleming Directed by: Christian Barry Company: Soulpepper and the Luminato Festival Venue: The Michael Young Theatre, 50 Tank House Lane City: Toronto Year: Until June 15 In 2017, Martin R. Schneider and Nicole Lee Hallberg, coworkers at a resume-editing company, experimented with trading e-mail signatures and found their working experiences suddenly and radically changed. While Nicole as 'Martin' had the easiest week of her career, Martin as 'Nicole' was thoroughly frustrated. Respectful clients became rude, demanding and patronizing when they thought they were dealing with a woman. One male client even propositioned 'Nicole' after brief, e-mail-only contact. Both participants posted individually about their findings; Hallberg wrote an article for Medium, but it was Schneider's tweets that went viral and made headlines. It seemed that a story about sexism in the workplace made a far bigger impact when it was confirmed by a man's voice. That story came to mind as I watched Red Like Fruit, by Governor General's Award-winning playwright Hannah Moscovitch. Under Christian Barry's direction, the production from Halifax's 2B Theatre Company now at Soulpepper as part of the Luminato Festival is a simply delivered and devastating tale of the background radiation of sexism and sexual assault that becomes inextricably baked into women's identities. Canadian playwrights Hannah Moscovitch and Jordan Tannahill stay true to their roots despite U.S. success Red Like Fruit is arranged around a unique conceit: While the face screaming on the poster and story springing from the stage belong to Lauren (Michelle Monteith), the audience rarely hears her actual voice. Instead, she's asked Luke (David Patrick Flemming) to speak for her, telling her story in the third person as she listens attentively, analyzing its impact on her and the audience and trying to figure out what it all means. Why is she so angry, despite her successful career as a journalist, stable marriage and two healthy children? Why does her chest constrict as she conducts interviews about a high-profile case of domestic violence, where the perpetrator was welcomed back to the Liberal Party after some community service, and the victim's contract was not renewed? What is the difference between 'trauma' and 'experiences' if they both shape us – doesn't every teenager face strange incidents, shrug and move on? And, ultimately, is it worthwhile to put the complex struggle into words, if no one wants to hear them? It's easy to see why Moscovitch's work was a finalist for the 2024 Susan Smith Blackburn Prize, 'the oldest and largest international playwriting prize honoring women+ writing for the English-speaking theatre.' Lauren's crisis, as delivered by Luke, is personal rather than intersectional, but is full of detailed, sharp observations about what it means to live and work in a world where you ultimately feel dismissed and disposable. The political scandal Lauren investigates, not directly ripped from the headlines but inspired by recent incidents, becomes increasingly chilling as she discovers the extent of the victim's injuries and the concerted attempt to discredit her voice. Worse, Lauren finds it so easy to become complicit in this judgment. She scoffs at the victim's pop-star name, as though it makes a difference. She finds the men involved morally repugnant, yet secretly hopes they like her and her work. Monteith delivers a performance that's haunting in its restrained economy, and which matches the economy of the production, which strips down all ornamentation in an attempt to appear as objective as possible. Kaitlin Hickey's set design is limited to a raised black platform with a single chair for Lauren. She's on display, while Luke stands to the side with a music stand. Hickey's costumes are workplace casual attire, Lauren in a fitted white button-down shirt contrasting Luke's shapeless grey sweater, and her lighting slowly darkens and narrows to a spot that alternately pins Lauren further in place and recedes her into the shadows. It's occasionally even possible to forget Monteith is on stage, which is kind of the point. Lauren's not miming her story while Luke tells it; she's listening to it like we are, reacting to her words coming from an out-of-body location. Sometimes she seems miles away, hard and distant; sometimes, she trembles, her eyes shining bright with tears that threaten to fall but never completely emerge. When she speaks to question the proceedings, her voice, a little high, a little thin, clashes with the more assured script Luke delivers. And when she stretches her face into that one silent scream, it's arresting and almost genre-bending, matching the script's turn from a realistic description of lunch with a colleague to a stylized vision of a bathtub brimming with blood – before it blinks back, as though nothing really happened. But what did actually happen? And who are we to judge the things that have happened to us, without outside input? Flemming's Luke, as Lauren's mouthpiece, has a warm, compassionate but slightly detached delivery that lets us occasionally find the humour in the societal contradictions and horrors that Lauren faces. At the same time, the house goes silent when he narrates brutally clinical descriptions of domestic violence and Lauren's experiences with sexual assault – or was it assault? The character is designed to be sympathetic, acknowledging the difficulty of speaking for a woman and checking in with Lauren to see if she wants him to continue. It's simultaneously intriguing and frustrating that we never find out the connection between Luke and Lauren, or whether he has any stake in this, but again, that's the goal. Presented with a largely anonymous narrator, why would we trust him more with a story than the person who experienced it? Is it that he's an unbiased, outside eye? Or is it because he's tall, and male, and reassuring?
Fox News
26-05-2025
- Politics
- Fox News
Hillary Clinton is back and doing what she does best -- trashing women
Hillary Clinton is back and doing what she does best: trashing women. She wants to make sure we know that the basket of deplorables is also sexist. During a conversation at the 92nd Street Y in New York City last month, Clinton was asked by Margaret Hoover, host of "Firing Line" on PBS, if she had any advice for the eventual first female president of the United States. Clinton took this opportunity to take a swipe at Republican women. "Well, first of all, don't be a handmaiden to the patriarchy, which kind of eliminates every woman on the other side of the aisle, except for very few." Most Republican women are just "handmaidens to the patriarchy," just there to support the men, according to her. Would Hillary Clinton ever do such a thing? Clinton first rose to prominence because her husband was governor of Arkansas and then president of the United States. On his coattails she later became a U.S. senator from New York. After she ran for president and lost the nomination to Barack Obama, she was appointed Secretary of State, yes, by a man. While president, Bill Clinton carried on an affair with a White House intern and then lied about it under oath. He was impeached by the House of Representatives for perjury and obstructing justice. During the time that he engaged in this cover-up, his wife Hillary was out in front lambasting Republicans for daring to challenge her husband. She coined the phrase "vast rightwing conspiracy" to wave away the charges against him. In later years Hillary denied that Bill's relationship with Monica was an abuse of power since Monica was "an adult," despite the fact that he was leader of the free world and she was a recent college graduate doing an internship. This wasn't the only time Hillary Clinton snuggled right up to the patriarchy. When Bill Clinton was running for president in 1992, he was dogged by accusations he had had a longtime affair with Gennifer Flowers. Hillary Clinton, no girl's girl, denied that her husband would do such a thing and added "You know, I'm not sitting here, some little woman standing by my man like Tammy Wynette." It wasn't enough to defend her husband. Hillary had to take a shot at women who made the same choice she would end up making, to stand by her man. Criticizing other women to defend a man, is there anything more patriarchal? Her husband wasn't the only man Hillary Clinton would protect and defend in this way. In a New York Times story after Harvey Weinstein was exposed as a sexual predator, two well-known women said that they warned Hillary Clinton's team about her close relationship with Weinstein. Actress Lena Dunham and magazine publisher Tina Brown both made explicit warnings about Weinstein to Hillary Clinton's team during both of her presidential races. After the accusations against Weinstein became public, Hillary's team issued a statement hitting back at Dunham specifically for contacting them instead of going to authorities, noting "Only she can answer why she would tell them instead of those who could stop him." Some champion of women. Hillary doesn't like when women won't do as they are told. In 2018, still bitter over her drubbing in the 2016 presidential election by Donald Trump, Clinton said women who didn't vote for her were just doing the bidding of the men in their lives. "We do not do well with white men and we don't do well with married, white women," Clinton said. "And part of that is an identification with the Republican Party, and a sort of ongoing pressure to vote the way your husband, your boss, your son, whoever, believes you should." It couldn't be that women had considered her candidacy and found it wanting. According to her, it must be that men had told these women how to vote. Hillary always took swipes at women so her latest comments are nothing new. The eventual female president should consider not using women as a punching bag to attain her goals. Thankfully, that president won't be Hillary Clinton.
Washington Post
24-05-2025
- Politics
- Washington Post
Trump to speak at a West Point upended by his changes
When President Donald Trump last addressed the graduating class of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, protests inspired by the police killing of George Floyd swept the country — forcing a reckoning on college campuses that extended to the storied institution. Then, school officials directed cadets to spend an academic year exploring how to 'unearth and confront racism, sexism, and other biases that persist at this academy and that undermine American society.'
