After a young photographer accused him of sexual misconduct, Aziz Ansari found himself in the midst of a Twitterstorm, with many criticised him for being hypocritic. But now, Ansari said their intimacy was consensual. In a statement, the Indian-origin actor-comedian said he was concerned and surprised when he learned about the incident. According to Ansari, he met a young woman at a party and they got involved sexually, which he thought happened with consent.
At the Golden Globes Awards this year, Aziz Ansari wore black as well as the Time’s Up badge in solidarity with victims and survivors of sexual harassment. Ansari said in a statement that he still supported the movement.
Aziz Ansari at Golden Globes 2018
His statement read:
“In September of last year, I met a woman at a party. We exchanged numbers. We texted back and forth and eventually went on a date. We went out to dinner, and afterwards we ended up engaging in sexual activity, which by all indications was completely consensual.
The next day, I got a text from her saying that although “it may have seemed okay,” upon further reflection, she felt uncomfortable. It was true that everything did seem okay to me, so when I heard that it was not the case for her, I was surprised and concerned. I took her words to heart and responded privately after taking the time to process what she had said.
I continue to support the movement that is happening in our culture. It is necessary and long overdue.”
Babe magazine published a detailed account of a 23-year-old woman under the alias Grace who said her date with Aziz Ansari turned into a nightmare. Grace said she took time to understand that what happened with her was sexual assault. She accused Ansari of initiating sex without her consent.
“I know I was physically giving off cues that I wasn’t interested. I don’t think that was noticed at all, or if it was, it was ignored.”
Also read: Accused of sexual misconduct after a date, Indian-origin actor Aziz Ansari faces backlash on Twitter
When the allegations surfaced, many Twitter users expressed shock. As Ansari was being vocal about the Time’s Up movement, this alleged behaviour seemed to be in stark contradiction.
The story the woman shared about her date with #AzizAnsari opens up the door to discuss a very complex element of sexual assault. Coercion and consent are two very different things. The thing about coercion is a person can comply in the moment without fully wanting to consent.
— Shanita Hubbard (@msshanitarenee) January 14, 2018
This whole #AzizAnsari date-night-from-hell has some interesting lessons. 1. As women we clearly need to learn how to say ‘no’ strongly and forcefully. We need to teach ourselves and our daughters this. Too many of us don’t say no because we’ve been brought up to be ‘nice’.
— Namita Bhandare (@namitabhandare) January 14, 2018
Besides showing zero empathy, asking why she didn’t ‘just leave’ demonstrates a complete lack of understanding about trauma and how women are socially conditioned to be polite and to prioritise men’s feelings above their own #AzizAnsari
— Louise O’ Neill (@oneilllo) January 14, 2018
And this is the guy who’s supposed to know so much about “Modern Romance”? It’s sad to say that many guys in this bro-ific age do think this is modern romance. I am so sorry for the woman involved and all who go thru this. #azizansarihttps://t.co/NyOzXc4Gqn
— Rebel Scum (@nancyjosales) January 14, 2018
This story is chillingly familiar for all too many women. We leave these situations feeling sickened, degraded, bursting at the seams with our shame – and we know that the guy in question won’t give it another single, solidarity thought. #AzizAnsari
— Louise O’ Neill (@oneilllo) January 14, 2018
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