Why is BWW silencing victims of predators?

[iluvtheatertrash]

Posted: 7/31/25 at 7:00am

Why are moderators once again silencing victims of sexual predators by deleting threads addressing it?

[binau]

Posted: 7/31/25 at 7:08am

It’s import to say alleged. That might be why. I assume and doubt there would be a problem if the discussion was on outcomes as found by a court as opposed to social media grievances. If you assume something has happened based only on allegations you risk committing slander etc. 

[Owen22]

Posted: 7/31/25 at 7:08am

It's on Tik Tok directly from the victim. The sexual harasser isn't that huge, but his business partner who the Accuser says knew about it, (not just him but others the harasser has done it to) is a big Tony winning actress.

[iluvtheatertrash]

Posted: 7/31/25 at 7:10am

binau said: "It’s import to say alleged. That might be why. I assume and doubt there would be a problem if the discussion was on outcomes as found by a court as opposed to social media grievances. If you assume something has happened based only on allegations you risk committing slander etc."

That’s fair. But how do we elevate victim’s stories so they can be heard?

[rosscoe(au)]

Posted: 7/31/25 at 7:44am

Same reason they allow that vile little person to continue to post here. We all know who! 

[quizking101]

Posted: 7/31/25 at 7:49am

binau said: "It’s import to say alleged. That might be why. I assume and doubt there would be a problem if the discussion was on outcomes as found by a court as opposed to social media grievances. If you assume something has happened based only on allegations you risk committing slander etc."

Just a footnote: It would be considered libel (defamation through a written medium), not slander (defamation via verbal communication).

[Broadway61004]

Posted: 7/31/25 at 8:35am

Owen22 said: "It's on Tik Tok directly from the victim. The sexual harasser isn't that huge, but his business partner who the Accuser says knew about it, (not just him but others the harasser has done it to)is a big Tony winning actress."

Saying something on TikTok is not the court of law. Anyone can say anything about anyone on any social media platform. 

To be very clear, I'm not saying that what this person said is NOT true. It 100% may be and that's why it should be investigated. And if the findings of that investigation are true, then at that point this accused harasser should be blasted on every site there is. But until then, talking about whether or not they did this in a message board is not investigating. And it can 100% be considered libel if it turns out that this is not true. So yes, BWW is correct in taking down these discussions.

[TotallyEffed]

Posted: 7/31/25 at 9:24am

Oh gosh, what did I miss? 

[ggersten]

Posted: 7/31/25 at 9:26am

iluvtheatertrash said: "Why are moderators once again silencing victims of sexual predators by deleting threads addressing it?"

Are you accusing the moderators of taking down a post from a person claiming to be a victim of a sexual predator? Or are you complaining that you can't post about such a claim?

Because, for the Message Board, posting about such a claim is precluded by the "rules" and has been part of the rules for some time. .

 "Discussions of off-stage events, rumors or hearsay are not permitted, and would fall under our personal attacks rule. To further clarify, allegations of alleged crimes are not permitted. This message board is not an appropriate place for discussions of this nature - legal issues, definitions, abuse, and such. There are important conversations to be had here, but an anonymous theatre message board is not the correct venue. These are important issues, and if you have something to report we are happy to connect you with either law enforcement, or one of a number of journalists that are equipped to pursue. If you or someone you know is in crisis, a link to some helpful resources can be found here. Sharing unconfirmed or private information regarding someone's personal life or health is prohibited."

 

[iluvtheatertrash]

Posted: 7/31/25 at 9:26am

Broadway61004 said: "Owen22 said: "It's on Tik Tok directly from the victim. The sexual harasser isn't that huge, but his business partner who the Accuser says knew about it, (not just him but others the harasser has done it to)is a big Tony winning actress."

Saying something on TikTok is not the court of law. Anyone can say anything about anyone on any social media platform.

To be very clear, I'm not saying that what this person said is NOT true. It 100% maybe and that's why it should be investigated. And if the findings of that investigation are true, then at that point this accused harasser should be blasted on every site there is. But until then, talking about whether or not they did this in a message board is not investigating. And it can 100% be considered libel if it turns out that this is not true. So yes, BWW is correct in taking down these discussions."

I hear you. Sorry for drudging it up again. I shared a similar story to Travis’ about someone in the industry (who actually assaulted me as a teen) and I was silenced by the industry and I think seeing Travis’ story taken down made me feel a bit bad. 

[iluvtheatertrash]

Posted: 7/31/25 at 9:27am

ggersten said: "iluvtheatertrash said: "Why are moderators once again silencing victims of sexual predators by deleting threads addressing it?"

Are you accusing the moderators of taking down a post from a person claiming to be a victim of a sexual predator? Or are you complaining that you can't post about such a claim?

Because, for the Message Board, posting about such a claim is precluded by the "rules" and has been part of the rules for some time. .

"Discussions of off-stage events, rumors or hearsay are not permitted, and would fall under our personal attacks rule. To further clarify, allegations of alleged crimes are not permitted. This message board is not an appropriate place for discussions of this nature - legal issues, definitions, abuse, and such. There are important conversations to be had here, but an anonymous theatre message board is not the correct venue. These are important issues, and if you have something to report we are happy to connect you with either law enforcement, or one of a number of journalists that are equipped to pursue. If you or someone you know is in crisis, a link to some helpful resources can be foundhere. Sharing unconfirmed or private information regarding someone's personal life or health is prohibited."

"

I asked a question that others much more kindly and less condescendingly answered. Many thanks to them.

[smidge2]

Posted: 7/31/25 at 9:29am

Absolutely. It’s shocking that people actually believe a TikTok video is a clear indication of wrongdoing. Are young people really that misguided?

[iluvtheatertrash]

Posted: 7/31/25 at 9:41am

smidge2 said: "Absolutely. It’s shocking that people actually believe a TikTok video is a clear indication of wrongdoing. Are young people really that misguided?"

I believe it because I believe people brave enough to speak out about sexual assault because I, too, have been a victim who struggled to speak out. I’m not “misguided”.

[Kad]

Posted: 7/31/25 at 9:47am

Selective and inconsistent moderation has long been a problem here. It whipsaws between extremely overzealous to extremely permissive. There was even a period of time when the rule that was cited above was so strictly enforced that even discussion of legitimately reported and proven newsworthy incidents was shut down. 

Updated On: 7/31/25 at 09:47 AM

[smidge2]

Posted: 7/31/25 at 10:02am

iluvtheatertrash said: "smidge2 said: "Absolutely. It’s shocking that people actually believe a TikTok video is a clear indication of wrongdoing. Are young people really that misguided?"

I believe it because I believe people brave enough to speak out about sexual assault because I, too, have been a victim who struggled to speak out. I’m not “misguided”."

I was not saying the individual is not to be believed or denying the difficulties of speaking out. But hopefully charges will be filed before actually discussing a case on social media.

[Broadway61004]

Posted: 7/31/25 at 10:05am

iluvtheatertrash said: "Broadway61004 said: "Owen22 said:I hear you. Sorry for drudging it up again. I shared a similar story to Travis’ about someone in the industry (who actually assaulted me as a teen) and I was silenced by the industryand I think seeing Travis’ story taken down made me feel a bit bad."

Of course and first and foremost, sorry that happened to you as a teen. There is obviously a major issue with harassment and even assault in the industry and that 100% needs to be addressed. We just need to be careful about blatantly declaring "Xx is one of them" before we know for sure 

[BroadwayGirl107]

Posted: 7/31/25 at 10:12am

Respectfully, the TikTok being referred to here came from an account with 87 followers that is less than two weeks old. That’s probably part of it. It came across as the owner of that account posting.

 

and respectfully I am someone who thinks we need to believe and take seriously what people say in terms of SA. But the allegations here are barely allegations at all. The person just vaguely says the party “made unwanted sexual advances” without any sort of timeline, notable incident, etc. It’s pretty hard to take allegations like this seriously because allegations that are taken seriously usually come with actions stories, dates, incidents. “Unwanted sexual advances” means what—the person asked you on a date and you declined? There’s just nothing to even consider at this moment because the allegations themselves are barely allegations. 
 

If the creator of the TikTok has indeed been targeted I hope they find the help they need. But vague TikTok’s with no details from two week old accounts about someone who is generally respected, without any other people coming forward—no at the moment that’s hard to really take seriously. 

[Moderator]

Posted: 7/31/25 at 10:13am

Hi Everyone.

We just wanted to chime in and address this before locking the thread as a number of posts here have had to be removed for violating our terms of service.

Per our rules (found here) "discussions of off-stage events, rumors or hearsay are not permitted, and would fall under our personal attacks rule. To further clarify, allegations of alleged crimes are not permitted." Our guidelines go further in depth as to why this rule exists, but primarily it is to protect both the website and our users from liability.

The Message Board is not the best venue for accusations of misconduct. We encourage victims to contact the appropriate authorities, union when under a covered contract, and get support from more appropriate places.

If anyone would like to be put in contact with a journalist who handles these types of complicated and sensitive claims, please reach out and we'd be happy to make an introduction.

Best,

Team BWW