Neil Gaiman responds to sexual assault allegations
A piece was released by Vulture that detailed horrifying allegations against author Neil Gaiman. It had detailed stories from women who did not know each other yet allegedly had similar encounters with Gaiman. Now, he is responding to the allegations.
In a post on his own website, Gaiman responded to the allegations put forward against him by 8 different women and stated that he has “never engaged in non-consensual activity with anyone. Ever.” He also claims that some of what was said about him in the Vulture piece was not true at all.
Gaiman first made a point to say that he is not a perfect person. He wrote that the allegations caused him to self-reflect. “I’ve spent some months now taking a long, hard look at who I have been and how I have made people feel.”
Then he went on to say that he has been putting in work to be a better person. “Like most of us, I’m learning, and I’m trying to do the work needed, and I know that that’s not an overnight process. I hope that with the help of good people, I’ll continue to grow,” Gaiman said. He then went on to say that he was doing it for those in his life, even if people did not believe him.
“I understand that not everyone will believe me or even care what I say but I’ll be doing the work anyway, for myself, my family and the people I love. I will be doing my very best to deserve their trust, as well as the trust of my readers.”
Neil Gaiman claims the allegations are not true
In his post, he continued to claim that what was alleged about him did not happen as it was presented. “At the same time, as I reflect on my past – and as I re-review everything that actually happened as opposed to what is being alleged – I don’t accept there was any abuse. To repeat, I have never engaged in non-consensual sexual activity with anyone,” he wrote.
Gaiman went on to claim that some of the allegations never happened while others have been changed. “Some of the horrible stories now being told simply never happened, while others have been so distorted from what actually took place that they bear no relationship to reality. I am prepared to take responsibility for any missteps I made. I’m not willing to turn my back on the truth, and I can’t accept being described as someone I am not, and cannot and will not admit to doing things I didn’t do.”
Since the allegations came out, projects based on Gaiman’s work have either separated themselves from the author or not moved forward. The alleged victims of Gaiman shared texts to and from the writer that they all willingly admit were shared after alleged assaults. Eight separate women told stories similar to one another without having known each other all about Gaiman and his actions.
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