Neil Gaiman Responds to Explosive Report of Sexual Assault

On Tuesday, the best-selling author Neil Gaiman denied allegations of sexual abuse and assault made against him by multiple women and reported in an explosive New York magazine article this week.In a statement on his website, Gaiman emphatically denied engaging in “nonconsensual sexual activity with anyone.” He wrote that he has stayed quiet about the allegations to avoid drawing attention to “a lot of misinformation,” and characterized his relationships with the women who have alleged that he assaulted them and pressured them to engage in acts against their will as “entirely consensual.”Accounts about Gaiman began to surface last summer, when multiple women came forward on a podcast produced by Tortoise Media and accused the author of sexually assaulting them.But a much more detailed and disturbing series of accounts by multiple women who allege that Gaiman raped, pressured, abused and assaulted them was published by New York magazine on Monday.

The article describes alleged abusive behavior by Gaiman toward women who claim he forced them to perform degrading acts, including licking vomit off his lap, and in some cases pressured them into sexual situations while his young son was present in the room.Some prominent writers — among them J.K.Rowling, Jeff VanderMeer, Maureen Johnson and Naomi Alderman — denounced Gaiman’s behavior and criticized the literary world’s tepid response to the allegations.

Others suggested that prize committees should rescind some of Gaiman’s literary awards.Some booksellers wondered whether they should stop carrying his books, which have sold tens of millions of copies globally and include children’s books, comics and beloved fantasy novels like “American Gods” and “The Graveyard Book.” Appalled fans vowed they would no longer buy or read Gaiman’s work.While some of Gaiman’s television and film projects were dropped following the initial allegations, the responses from his publishers, agents and profe...