Over 30 Current and Former Staff Members Accuse LGBTQ+ PinkNews Outlet Leaders of Sexual Misconduct – One America News Network
OAN Staff Brooke Mallory
3:55 PM – Tuesday, December 10, 2024
Over 30 former and current staff members have accused a married couple, who run one of the largest LGBTQ+ media organizations globally, of sexual misconduct and assault.
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PinkNews’ founder and CEO, Benjamin Cohen, along with his husband and COO, Anthony James, have been accused of inappropriate behavior towards male employees.
Cohen launched PinkNews in 2005 and played a significant role in the UK’s campaign for marriage equality for LGBTQ+ individuals.
According to a report by BBC, over 30 past and present employees have indicated that they attribute some of the inappropriate actions to the office’s “heavy drinking culture.”
Witnesses reported that Cohen invited a male staff member to his home while slapping another male colleague’s backside at a Christmas celebration. Additionally, it is alleged that James kissed and groped a junior staff member who was inebriated after a work event.
There are claims that some female staff members were asked to consider being the couple’s surrogates.
Representatives for Cohen and James stated to the BBC that “the allegations are unfounded.”
In their documentary “PinkNews: Behind Closed Doors,” available on iPlayer, the BBC interviewed 33 employees who worked at PinkNews from 2017 to 2024, including current staff members.
Five former employees reported witnessing James, a former GP, kiss and molest a junior employee outside a London pub where PinkNews staff had gathered post-work.
They stated that the employee was “unable to give consent” and was “too drunk to stand or speak.”
“Anthony was just forcing himself on someone who couldn’t make that decision because of their intoxication,” recounted one witness.
A complaint was eventually made to a staff member about the incident, which was communicated to several senior team members at PinkNews.
Another former employee recounted feeling uncomfortable due to Cohen’s behavior at a pub after work.
“Ben was extremely inebriated to the point of falling off his chair, and then, away from my colleagues, asked if I wanted to go back to his because Anthony, his husband, wasn’t there. He implied something sexual would occur, saying ‘Anthony is always with other men.’ I felt very uncomfortable,” he shared with the UK media.
Stephan Kyriacou, who worked at PinkNews from 2019 to 2021, stated that Cohen left him “shocked” after slapping him on the backside during a Christmas party.
Former employees alleged that the organization had a strong drinking culture, with staff gatherings often involving heavy drinking into the early hours and “Prosecco Fridays” where employees were served complimentary wine and snacks in the office.
Moreover, several individuals expressed feeling “awkward and uncomfortable” when younger female employees were asked to act as surrogates for Cohen and James, who both expressed a desire to become fathers.
At just 16, Cohen created the website JewishNet in 1998. He became involved in a notable dispute with Apple regarding the domain name itunes.co.uk in the early 2000s. He married James in 2018 and joined him at PinkNews in 2020. Before this, James served as a trustee at Mermaids, an organization criticized for promoting puberty blockers and chest binders for minors.
The journal has already adopted a controversial position on transgender issues, supporting the use of puberty blockers while using the derogatory term “terf” for those who believe in the immutability of biological sex.
“The inability to separate the two is extremely concerning. Accountability is essential for Ben. Until that happens, it’s hard to see a future for PinkNews,” stated an anonymous former employee who contacted the BBC.
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