Actor Terry Crews made headlines in November last year when he publicly accused a powerful Hollywood agent of sexually assaulting him in the past. Using his platform as a means to show the world that men can be victims of sexual misconduct too, regardless of how physically strong they are, he joined the Me Too movement as it built up steam.
Speaking on Good Morning America about the incident involving Adam Venit, the head of the Motion Picture Department at William Morris Endeavor, Crews said:
"I stick my hand out and he literally takes his hand and puts it and squeezes my genitals. I jump back like, ‘Hey, hey.’ And he’s still licking his tongue out and all this stuff and I go, ‘Dude, what are you doing? What are you doing?’ and then he comes back again.
"He just won’t stop ... I have never felt more emasculated, more objectified. I was horrified. It’s so bizarre. I wake up every morning wondering, ‘Did this really happen?'"
Now, this story has emerged once again as Crews has been speaking about the larger issue of sexual assault and how the legal system treats the victims of abuse. On Monday, he was called in to testify as part of a hearing about the Sexual Assault Survivors' Bill of Rights.
The actor is perhaps best known by his role on the TV comedy Brooklyn Nine Nine, but others will know him from his appearances in The Expendables action franchise. However, we likely won't be seeing Crews in the latter anymore, as it appears he has been dropped from the movie. According to the actor's testimony, producer Avi Lerner asked him to drop his civil lawsuit so that they could continue to feature him in The Expendables 4.
"Abusers protect abusers — and this is one thing I had to decide, whether I was going to draw the line on," Crews told the committee. "Am I going to be a part of this or am I gonna take a stand, and there are projects I had to turn down."
While there are many out there who have unfortunately reacted negatively to his words, there have been many who have praised his actions. His courage in coming forward to speak about something that many people can't face in the public eye, opening himself up to ridicule from others, all to help prevent this kind of thing from happening in the future, is admirable.
Not all the responses have been positive, however, with some people misinterpreting the facts or taking the opportunity to mock or question Crews - including 50 Cent, whose remarks didn't go down well at all.
Today, in a simple but powerful tweet, Crews has answered all the obnoxious questions that have been sent his way recently, commenting on how many of his answers seem to fall on deaf ears:
Although there may be plenty out there who are less understanding, or are being unfairly critical of the actor for his recent comments, there are also plenty out there who are grateful for his words.