George Takei denies the sexual assault allegations made against him
The allegations just keep coming. George Takei has also been accused of sexually assaulting a former model and actor in 1981. Takei is now being added to the list of powerful figures who allegedly abused their status in the entertainment industry in order to intimidate, coerce, or manipulate. After the numerous accusations against Harvey Weinstein, the dam seems to have broken. A culture of silence has reigned for decades, and it is only now that victims feel safe enough to join the Me Too movement and come forward. This is perhaps what helped Scott R. Brunton reveal his story. He recently toldThe Hollywood Reporter about being sexually assaulted by Takei in 1981, when he was 23 and Takei was in his mid-forties.
“This happened a long time ago, but I have never forgotten it,” Brunton told THR. “It is one of those stories you tell with a group of people when people are recounting bizarre instances in their lives, this always comes up. I have been telling it for years, but I am suddenly very nervous telling it.”
It’s been nearly forty years, but Brunton’s story hasn’t changed. The following is upsetting to read, but important to pay attention to, if you are able. The encounter started when the model and actor allegedly got drinks. After starting to feel dizzy, Brunton laid down on a beanbag chair and passed out.
“The next thing I remember I was coming to and he had my pants down around my ankles and he was groping my crotch and trying to get my underwear off and feeling me up at the same time, trying to get his hands down my underwear,” Brunton says. “I came to and said, ‘What are you doing?!’ I said, ‘I don’t want to do this.’ He goes, ‘You need to relax. I am just trying to make you comfortable. Get comfortable.’ And I said, ‘No. I don’t want to do this.'”
The model told the story to his friends years ago, confirmed THR.
He decided to come forward when Takei spoke out about the allegations against Kevin Spacey.
“When power is used in a non-consensual situation, it is a wrong,” Takei said. “For Anthony Rapp, he has had to live with the memory of this experience of decades ago. For Kevin Spacey, who claims not to remember the incident, he was the older, dominant one who had his way. Men who improperly harass or assault do not do so because they are gay or straight — that is a deflection. They do so because they have the power, and they chose to abuse it.”
Richard Dreyfuss and now George Takei: Accusers are being prompted to come forward when they see public comments they believe are hypocritical. https://t.co/pqTzWKocSl
— Matthew Belloni (@THRMattBelloni) November 11, 2017
George Takei is, however, denying the allegations against him.
The events he describes back in the 1980s simply did not occur, and I do not know why he has claimed them now. I have wracked my brain to ask if I remember Mr. Brunton, and I cannot say I do. /2
— George Takei (@GeorgeTakei) November 11, 2017
Right now it is a he said / he said situation, over alleged events nearly 40 years ago. But those that know me understand that non-consensual acts are so antithetical to my values and my practices, the very idea that someone would accuse me of this is quite personally painful. /4
— George Takei (@GeorgeTakei) November 11, 2017
Thanks to many of you for all the kind words and trust. It means so much to us.
Yours in gratitude,
George /end— George Takei (@GeorgeTakei) November 11, 2017
While there are no definitive conclusions yet in Takei’s case, and the actor vehemently denies it, it is important to remember that victims gain nothing by coming forward. It is often an upsetting experience just to speak out, with millions of people weighing in on your credibility and litigating your pain. There may never be a verdict delivered in court on so many of these cases, but we can at least hear victims out when they come forward.
