Washington, DC – Netflix announced it would suspend production of the sixth season of “House of Cards” until the company has had “time to review the current situation and to address any concerns of our cast and crew,” following allegations that the shows lead actor, Kevin Spacey, has sexually assaulted numerous male victims over the years.
“The allegations that Kevin Spacey may have sexually assaulted several young male victims in the acting and media industries show that #MeToo applies to males too,” said Haley Halverson, Vice President of Advocacy and Outreach at the National Center on Sexual Exploitation.
“Boys and men who are victims of sexual assault or harassment are equally deserving of justice and healing as the countless female victims of these abuses. Unfortunately, all too often, research shows that male victims of sexual assault are reluctant to disclose due to stigma, and they are regularly met with disbelief, inadequate resources, and attitudes that only serve to silence them.”
“The National Center on Sexual Exploitation has made a deliberate effort to bring male victims suffering from sexual abuse out of the shadows and make the sexual exploitation of males an issue of serious concern in our nation,” Halverson added. “No person, male or female, should ever experience sexual exploitation.”
NCOSE’s research summary on the sexual exploitation of boys and men can be found here.
