Today, musician Kesha went to court with her producer Dr. Luke to
examine her recording contract with Sony and try and free herself from it after
finally speaking out about being sexually assaulted by Dr. Luke. This topic has taken over the Internet and is something which I, and I know millions of
others, feel very passionate about, so it needs to be blogged about.
Kesha recently plucked up the courage to speak out about being abused
sexually, emotionally and verbally by her producer, Dr. Luke. She is still tied
in with her contract with Sony Records and went to court hoping to be granted
with a preliminary injunction which would temporarily nullify her contract and
mean she wouldn't have to work with the man who raped her.
Kesha no longer wants to work with Dr. Luke out of fear, which really is
no surprise, and, although Sony has offered her the chance to work with another
producer, she is worried that they will not promote her music if she is paired
with a different partner.
28 year old Kesha was drugged with a 'sober pill' and raped by Dr. Luke,
shortly after her 18th birthday and he was never criminally charged for his
actions.
Kesha's contract requires her to make six more albums with Sony, which
she requested to be freed from yet the Judge claimed that doing so would
"undermine the state's laws governing contracts and the court couldn't do
that," Kesha's Lawyer fought her case well and even argued about how Sony
have more invested in Dr. Luke than in Kesha, so they would be more likely to
protect him obviously, as he is making them more money.
Kesha sat in that court room today, with her mother, crying at the back
upon hearing the news that she wouldn't be freed from her contract, after
initially appearing shocked, as I would too.
The Judge argued that they didn't think the information provided by
Kesha's Lawyers was detailed enough to keep her civil rights, sexual harassment
and discrimination claims alive (basically saying there was not enough evidence
to prove she was attacked) but the Judge has postponed making a decision on the
dismissal motives.
Kesha fans gathered outside the court today with plaques and banners
advertising the #FreeKesha campaign. They sang her songs and waited for her in
the cold. #FreeKesha has also been trending worldwide on Twitter and thousands
have Tweeted and signed a petition to express their disgust.
So, now you're up to date, lemme rant.
Well well well, where do I even begin? So, in a nutshell, Kesha was told
that she has to work with the man who raped her and is not allowed to leave her
label despite it having serious emotional and mental effects on her? Let me ask
you, how on Earth does that make sense?
It baffles me how it is 2016 yet we still live in a world where men and
women are not served justice after sexual attacks, One of the bravest things a
person can do is speak out about a traumatic experience like that and it takes
years to prepare yourself for it but, when you do, you are not believed, get no
justice and the oppressor is not punished, which surely makes the whole thing a
million times worse and makes a person feel as if they went through all of that
for nothing. And you wonder why people don't speak out about being abused? We
have managed to do incredible things once imagined to be beyond our capability
as humans. We have created mind blowing technology and sent man to the moon yet
have still not mastered the art of dishing out justice to victims or
punishments to attackers, which is something we should have been able to do
from the get go.
All Kesha wants to do is make music. She is an artist and she wants to
create. It must be so frustrating for her as she has the tools and has the
ideas yet she cannot do anything with them. Nobody should be taken advantage of
in the way that she has been and I can't believe that people are being made
slaves for their art. It’s known yet never spoken about that the music industry
is a cruel place. It shatters dreams, messes with people's minds, gives false
hope and turns people into something they are not but it sickens me to know
that people such as producers are abusing their power and believing there is
nothing wrong with that. Dr. Luke was not punished for his actions yet everyone
knows what he has done and how Kesha feels about it but the authorities are
doing nothing about that. Instead of punishing the rapist, the court are
punishing the victim by not allowing her to escape this horrific ordeal, yet
another thing that is wrong with the justice system.
Apparently there is "not enough evidence" but that just leaves
me speechless. What does the court expect Kesha to do? Film herself getting
raped and upload it to YouTube? Take a selfie straight afterwards and put it on
Instagram? Evidence is not needed during a rape trial. If a person says they
were raped, you do not question it. You don't go straight in with "when
was it?" "What were you wearing?" "Where were you when it
happened?" Instead, you offer help and support and you try and get the
victim through it one step at a time. It really does blow my mind that a court
could be so pathetic and blind as to treat this case not with the care it needs
and to focus more on the label than actually getting Kesha the help she
deserves. I do not want to live in a world where the authorities have to decide
whether or not you were raped, whether or not you were hurt. This image below
is a photo of Kesha crying in said court room today. Does this look like the
face of a lying woman to you? Does it look like the face of someone who would
put herself through all of this for nothing? Does it look like the face of
someone who wants to work with a man who raped her?

But even if the court refuses to allow Kesha to leave Sony, I cannot
understand why Sony is not letting Kesha go themselves. She has not made music
for two years so it isn't even as if they are making any money
from her. Maybe it's just me, but if I owned a record label, I would not want
an artist signed to me who was raped by one of my producers and felt like they
didn't want to make music for me. Sony, there are millions of undiscovered
voices out there, go and find them and sign people who will actually enjoy
working with you. The music industry has become all about the money and
artists' feeling and wellbeing are no longer important to their label. As long
as their raking it in, they could be on their deathbed and it would not
matter.
Additionally, this whole situation just does not make sense. Zayn was
allowed to end his contract and leave One Direction because he was 'unhappy,'
Chris Brown was able to abuse Rihanna yet still have a career but Kesha was
raped and has to be tied to the label of the producer who did that to her?
Where the heck is the justice? A woman was sexually attacked yet that doesn't
seem to matter. Is this because she's a woman? You know what, it probably is.
Another thing really rattling my cage is the lack of celebrity support
that this case has received. Many celebrities with large followings claim to be
Feminists, yet have kept their mouth shut on this entire Kesha issue. Famous
Feminists such as Emma Watson and Taylor Swift (they aren't the only ones, but
just to give examples) spend a lot of time preaching about how we need equal
rights for men and women, yet, when the time comes for them to say something
that could make a difference, they do nothing. They speak out when it suits
them and their careers. To be honest, all it would take is Beyoncé to post
something on Instagram about justice for Kesha and millions more would become
interested. There are celebrities with very large followings who could make a
big impact here but none of them are doing anything. Maybe it’s because lots of
them are musicians themselves and don't want to get into a sticky situation
with their own labels.
Another thing relating to this is the artists signed to Sony. These
include One Direction, Lady Gaga, Little Mix, Beyoncé, Jay Z, Miley Cyrus,
Shakira, Ariana Grande, Bruno Mars and Adele, all very prominent names in the
charts at the moment and all with at least seven million Twitter followers, a
lot with more, however, they are all remaining silent because God forbid
somebody may speak out against an injustice regarding their own record label
ooh no you don't want them to drop you do you now?! All it could take is one of
you to Tweet the trending hashtag! You also have a lot of young fans
who would admire you for standing up to this monster of a label. You may not
want to leave it yourself, but at least give a girl who does a helping hand,
One thing I personally admire is Kesha's strength and determination through
all of this. She has refused to let her abuser take away her happiness because,
once they take that, they have won. No she hasn't made music but she hasn't
been hiding away. She knows she has nothing to hide and has fought through this
with upmost bravery. She's addressed the issue and she has battled for justice,
which she deserves so very much. Kesha has done this for all the other victims
who didn't get what they deserved and it breaks my heart every
time I even try to think about how she must feel now.
However, she has not done this alone. Kesha's supporters have stood by
her side through it all and it has been a truly magical thing to see.
Witnessing the world come together, especially on a massive platform such as
Twitter, in situations like this is a really heart-warming thing and knowing
that millions of people are behind her gives me faith that Kesha will beat this
and she will get what she needs - justice. Even people who aren't fans of her
music and may have criticised her in the past are fighting this with her and
are defending her, which is what we need. I just think it is a massive shame
that teenagers on the Internet have more understanding of what justice is than
those who are supposed to serve it.
This is not a personal thing. It does not matter whatsoever if you adore
Kesha or you can't stand her. This is about basic human rights. It’s human to
human. Please, even if all you do is send one Tweet or sign the petition
without even telling anyone, realise that this woman has been through hell and
back and everyone deserves the same chance of freedom. Yes, I know Dr. Luke
produced One Direction's 'Take Me Home' album and I know you love them very
much, but forget about that because this man needs to face the ramifications of
his actions, otherwise, where will it end?
As the case has been put on hold, it is not over. There is still a
chance that justice will be served for Kesha and we just need to keep believing
that. I refuse to lose all faith in humanity and I know that the support of the
public will be one of the only things Kesha is holding on to right now. She is
relying upon the people to believe her. Although the case should not have been
postponed in the first place and Kesha should be celebrating right now, it has
been postponed and all we can do is keep this lovely lady in our prayers and
thoughts. I also hope to see some influential figures speak out about this at
some point as, if they were in this position, they would want their fellow musicians
to do the same. Surely they want to stand up for art? I wish I had more of a
voice in this situation but I am doing my part so I hope you can do yours too.
I am merely as whisper in a large crowd but, if we all whisper together, we can
give Kesha hope.
This brave woman will remain in my thoughts as I have always been a
massive fan of her music and it breaks my heart knowing she isn't able to
create more.
Justice is what Kesha WILL get and Dr. Luke will
face the consequences, it's only right.
Now this is our time,
Our generation,
And we're impatient.
Animals you ready to fight?
Fight for the f**k ups,
Stand up for true love,
We'll never give up.
Live like it's our last night alive.
-Kesha 'Warrior'
#FreeKesha <3
Love, Emily :) xx
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