Celebrities have been expressing support for Kesha following last week's court ruling that denied the singer's request to have her recording contract with Sony and Dr. Luke dissolved following allegations against the producer of sexual, physical and emotional abuse. Girls creator Lena Dunham had previously rallied behind the singer with an Instagram post and has now delivered a full essay dealing with issues of abuse, the U.S. legal system and Sony's support for Dr. Luke.
The essay, titled "Why Kesha's Case Is About More Than Kesha," was published today (February 23) through Dunham's Lenny Letter website and finds the writer/actor/director describing her disgust over the court ruling. "When I saw the outcome of Kesha's court case last Friday, I felt sick," she writes.
Points brought up include how the judge seemingly sided with Sony and Dr. Luke (a.k.a. Lukasz Sebastian Gottwald) on a business level, without reflecting Kesha's allegations of abuse. Dunham notes that while the latter "cannot be proven definitively," Kesha's safety is not being kept in mind.
"What's happening to Kesha highlights the way that the American legal system continues to hurt women by failing to protect them from the men they identify as their abusers," Dunham writes.
"Sony could make this go away. But instead the company has chosen to engage in a protracted legal battle to protect Gottwald's stake in Kesha's future. Although the company insists that Kesha and Gottwald never need to be in a room together and that he will allow her to record without his direct involvement, they are minimizing what Kesha says regarding how Gottwald's continued involvement in her career would affect her physical well-being and psychological safety."
Later, Dunham likens the contract dispute to living in a house owned by your abuser.
"The judge says that you don't have to see them again, BUT they still own your house. So they can decide when to turn the heat on and off, whether they'll pay the telephone bill or fix the roof when it leaks. After everything you've been through, do you feel safe living in that house? Do you trust them to protect you?"
The essay goes on to discuss systemic misogyny and fear, but notes that the outpouring of support over social media for Kesha and the #FreeKesha campaign is promising.
Dunham writes, "We are not scared anymore of losing what we worked for, of being branded hysterical or difficult, of being targeted and silenced by men in power. The women in the music industry speaking out for Kesha are proof. And their words will reverberate, inspiring the young women watching them for clues about the good life to speak up too. Soon, no one will accept shame and fear as the status quo. And so, while Kesha is indefinitely silenced, her voice has never been louder."
You can read the essay in full over here.
As previously reported, Dr. Luke took to Twitter yesterday to further defend himself. You can see several of his related tweets here.
The essay, titled "Why Kesha's Case Is About More Than Kesha," was published today (February 23) through Dunham's Lenny Letter website and finds the writer/actor/director describing her disgust over the court ruling. "When I saw the outcome of Kesha's court case last Friday, I felt sick," she writes.
Points brought up include how the judge seemingly sided with Sony and Dr. Luke (a.k.a. Lukasz Sebastian Gottwald) on a business level, without reflecting Kesha's allegations of abuse. Dunham notes that while the latter "cannot be proven definitively," Kesha's safety is not being kept in mind.
"What's happening to Kesha highlights the way that the American legal system continues to hurt women by failing to protect them from the men they identify as their abusers," Dunham writes.
"Sony could make this go away. But instead the company has chosen to engage in a protracted legal battle to protect Gottwald's stake in Kesha's future. Although the company insists that Kesha and Gottwald never need to be in a room together and that he will allow her to record without his direct involvement, they are minimizing what Kesha says regarding how Gottwald's continued involvement in her career would affect her physical well-being and psychological safety."
Later, Dunham likens the contract dispute to living in a house owned by your abuser.
"The judge says that you don't have to see them again, BUT they still own your house. So they can decide when to turn the heat on and off, whether they'll pay the telephone bill or fix the roof when it leaks. After everything you've been through, do you feel safe living in that house? Do you trust them to protect you?"
The essay goes on to discuss systemic misogyny and fear, but notes that the outpouring of support over social media for Kesha and the #FreeKesha campaign is promising.
Dunham writes, "We are not scared anymore of losing what we worked for, of being branded hysterical or difficult, of being targeted and silenced by men in power. The women in the music industry speaking out for Kesha are proof. And their words will reverberate, inspiring the young women watching them for clues about the good life to speak up too. Soon, no one will accept shame and fear as the status quo. And so, while Kesha is indefinitely silenced, her voice has never been louder."
You can read the essay in full over here.
As previously reported, Dr. Luke took to Twitter yesterday to further defend himself. You can see several of his related tweets here.