Johnny Depp's win was a major win. Not just for himself, but for most of us, including fans. But more importantly, Johnny Depp's win is a win for people who have been subject to bullying, defamation, harassment, and also to real victims of rape, sexual assault and domestic violence. Not only did Amber Heard lie about Depp, she also abused him as well. And this proves that men can be abused too, which is what we as feminists must also care about - domestic violence can happen to anyone, regardless of gender or sexual orientation. And Depp has had to go through the abuse for many years, and this year's trial lasting many weeks. I am going to tell you now how I can relate his defamation case to my very own personal experiences. I am, and have been a victim of defamation and bullying/harassment. I will explain here how this all started. And defamation sucks big time. It all started on Facebook and Twitter. I was reporting stuff that shouldn't be up on Twitter and/or Facebook, and soon the trolls started identifying and harassing me in late 2016/early 2017. (The harassment was very persistent for 2017.) One of the trolls I had identified was Jamie Lawlcard/Lee Levett. Another one is now convicted stalker Nicky Wright. Wright had written a defamatory wordpress blog on me, which is still up - despite it being a clear violation of Wordpress's Terms of Service in terms of harassment and especially so that I did not give permission for Wright or Card to use my photo. Throughout the years, I have been going to the police and to Netsafe to make complaint after complaint about Wright and his ilk. Nothing, to this day, has been done so far. In one screenshot of a Facebook post below, he has taken my photo - without permission - from one of my Instagram accounts - and has used it for abusive purposes and against me. I had reported it to Facebook several times, and it wasn't until a while later it got taken down. The case into Nicky Wright is still ongoing, and I hope that Wright will be held accountable for bullying and harassing me, Nicola Brookes and other people that he has harassed and defamed. And now that Depp won, I am holding out bigger hope that the UK and NZ police will take defamation and harassment more seriously and learn from the case and assist victims who, like me, are in a similar position.
This whole thing is relatable not only because the Wordpress blog in question contained false accusations about me, but that blog also used my photo without my permission and the blog was also of an offensive nature - any decent person who reads the blog would find it offensive. And that the case is still ongoing, and there hasn't been any closure yet. Remember that defamation is a real thing. And that men can be abused. Defamation is not only uncool, but it is a serious crime in many cases. Lying about rape or abuse makes real victims, women or men, look bad. And it can have consequences for them that impacts then in a negative way, such as people not believing real victims. Photo on blog cover by Salman Hossain Saif on Unsplash
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AuthorI am Natalie Dunn. I am a feminist who believes in gender equality and rights for everyone. I have many passions in life such as fashion, beauty, adventures and travelling. Archives
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