On Monday evening, the sister of Twitch streamer Tylil James’ inappropriately touching Starz Power star Michael Rainey Jr. went viral, causing divided discourse on sexual harassment towards men. Rainey Jr. took to Instagram to speak about the clip, posting, “I am still in shock and don’t fully know how to process what happened last night. This is an unfortunate situation that I don’t condone in any way. I can’t take it lightly because I know I’d be in serious trouble if the roles were reversed.”
Sexual assault happens to one in six men in their lifetime, but most of the time, it goes under-reported. The stigma against men speaking up for being touched on by a woman or girl is perpetuated by the societal standards placed on them. Men are supposed to appear stronger and more protective and uphold their masculinity physically, emotionally, and mentally. Still, this old-age way of thinking continues the cycle of silence or causes anxiety brimming to the top of anyone’s mental health to spill in harmful ways within their life.
Men speaking out against the boundaries broken by women are often met with little to no support or minimization at best. Rainey Jr., who has dedicated 10 seasons and years to the Power franchise, received controversial dismissive comments from his co-star and executive producer, 50 Cent. The rapper tweeted his opinion on the viral discourse, saying, “Wait, sexual assault? From a male perspective, this was an aggressive advance. LOL, he’s fine. No charges are being pressed.”
It’s worth noting there are key differences between Sexual Harassment and Sexual Assault. Harassment leans into unwanted advances, which may include touching, explicit images or gestures, and verbal lewd comments or jokes. Assault is more specific and actual contact that’s sexual in nature. This covers no consent of sexual acts, forced sexual acts, and rape. Micheal Rainey Jr. was assaulted.
Violation, whether public or private or woman or man, shouldn’t be taken lightly. Society rarely believes women, which makes it a harder challenge for men. Most recently, the hard-to-watch TMZ footage of Diddy physically abusing Cassie changed and cemented the public’s new view of the Bad Boy founder. Without the evidence, there would still be doubters on social media, let alone the world. However, in reverse, Rainey Jr.’s circumstance was a live recording but is blowing over in real-time. Every sexual offense shouldn’t be taken lightly. GU stands with Michael Rainey Jr. and any man who finds the fortitude to speak out.
“The fact is, sexual assault is ever okay, regardless of gender or status,” Rainey Jr.’s post continues. “We’re all human, and we should respect each other. Most importantly, we should always respect ourselves.”