By: Brianna Bonham
The Free Kesha movement has been going on for a couple of years now, but has gained significant attention after the court’s decision on Kesha’s case.
For those that don’t know about the case, here’s a little background: Kesha released her popular album “Warrior” in 2012, and shortly after in 2013, her fans began to suspect that her producer, Lukasz Gottwald, was controlling her. A petition was created to free her from Gottwald’s control, and Kesha later said in a Rolling Stone interview that she felt as though she did not have creative control over her music.
In October 2014, Kesha filed a lawsuit against Gottwald saying that he had controlled her and abused her physically, mentally, and emotionally.
The suit said, “For the past 10 years, Gottwald has sexually, physically, verbally and emotionally abused Ms. Sebert to the point where Ms. Sebert nearly lost her life. Gottwald abused Ms. Sebert in order to destroy her self-confidence, self-image, and self-worth so that he could maintain complete control over her life and career.” The suit included claims of multiple instances where Gottwald had “forced himself” on Kesha while she was “intoxicated and drugged,” and then threatened her into silence.
Gottwald filed a lawsuit against Kesha claiming that her accusations were an attempt to get out of their contract. On Feb. 19, Kesha left the courtroom in tears after the judge denied her request to be freed from the contract binding her to Sony music, and ultimately, Gottwald, saying that there was not enough evidence to support the case.
This case astounds and concerns me.
First and foremost, Kesha is a human being. The stress the situation is causing her is apparent both physically and mentally. After the case was initially brought up, her appearance changed and she was not as active in the industry as she was in years previously. Her fans noticed these changes and voiced their concerns before the case was even brought up.
The fact that the judge decided there was not enough evidence to support the case makes my stomach turn. What if that was me presenting a rape case and they decided that I had to work with my rapist? Imagine what that could do to a person.
Kesha was not asking for anything unreasonable either; she simply wanted to have the contract revoked so that she could produce music elsewhere. Kesha was not asking for him to serve jail time.
Shortly after the decision was made, Lady Gaga released a statement saying, “No one needs to validate Kesha.”
“Why is the victim always the ‘liar’? Why do we let people in a position of power get away with behaving inhumanely?” she continued. “These guys hide behind the legal system and it’s their litigious behavior that is precisely what they use to rape these girls. Give me what I want or else I will come after you’ and they have all the money and the resources to do it.”
Many musicians, celebrities, and fans have banded together to show their support for Kesha. A GoFundMe page was created to buy out Kesha’s contract. In 11 days, supporters have raised $23,077 out of the $2 million goal.
This also brings awareness to rape culture and the power that a rapist can have in a situation. It’s hard to know for sure without any solid evidence whether or not the rape occurred, but I believe it is extremely important to take into account how the decision will affect the victim and what kind of message this sends to an audience.
One of the arguments I have heard from a couple people is that Kesha did not come forward in a “timely manner,” to which I say, why do we place a time limit on abuse?
If it happened, it happened. No amount of time is going to change that. It may be harder to gather evidence 10 years after the abuse, but that doesn’t make it any less of a concern. By placing a time limit on Kesha coming forward, that forces her to continue working with her abuser.
The beginning of my senior year of high school, I was verbally abused by my theatre director on multiple separate occasions. I went to the principle after it happened and explained that I did not feel safe in the theatre anymore, and that I was concerned for the wellbeing of other students.
I fought for something to be done for over a year, and to this day, nothing has been done. It kills me to see Kesha working with that abusive man. As someone who has experienced verbal abuse, I can attest that it is both physically and emotionally draining.
I can’t even begin to imagine a situation where someone is forced to work with their abuser, and to me it shows that the legal contract between Kesha and Gottwald is valued more than she is as a human being.
After reading up on the case, I feel as though Gottwald has “won.” He keeps the contract with no punishment except the anger of her fans. There is also potential for the situation to happen again. I hope that there are measures being taken to make sure Kesha is safe when they are together. I stand with Kesha, and hope that she gets the justice she needs.
Contact the author at bbonham15@wou.edu or on Twitter @WOUjournalphoto
