Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has called on a senator to apologize after he was accused of "slut-shaming" a fellow parliamentarian during a heated debate over legalizing pepper spray to protect women.
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During a debate in the upper house of parliament, David Leyonhjelm (pictured above) insulted fellow senator Sarah Hanson-Young, telling her to "stop shagging men." Leyonhjelm reportedly told her to "f--- off" when Hanson-Young confronted him over the incident.
A heated debate on legalizing pepper spray to protect women from sexual assaults led to a grubby dispute that saw Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull demand an apology from Leyonhjelm.
"David Leyonhjelm's offensive remarks should have been withdrawn the moment they were uttered," the premier said. "It is not too late for him to withdraw and apologize. That type of language has no place in parliament and shouldn't have a place in any workplace."
Man apologizes after grabbing, kissing DW reporter
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Unapologetic
Not only did he not dispute the incident, Leyonhjelm later went on air and criticized Hanson-Young, refusing to apologize.
Leyonhjelm said his comment was "legitimate" and what offended him was Hanson-Young's claim that "all men are rapists."
'He is slut-shaming me. That is what he is doing,' said Hanson-YoungImage: picture-alliance/AA/E. Sakar
"I am opposed to misandry, just as I am to misogyny. And I am also entitled to call out double standards," Leyonhjelm said. "So arguing on the one hand that all men are evil, the enemy, they're rapists and sexual predators. And on the other hand having normal relationships with men, obviously is contradictory and I can call it out."
Hanson Young, who is divorced, denies making any such claims.
Hanson-Young said she would sue Senator Leyonhjelm and Sky News, the network that aired the interview.
"David Leyonhjelm is suggesting — because he can't win an argument, he wants to bully — that I am sexually promiscuous," Hanson-Young told ABC channel on Tuesday. "He is slut-shaming me. That is what he is doing."
Sky News apologized for airing the interview and suspended a producer for allowing the "appalling comments" on the channel.
French stars divided over #MeToo
An open letter signed by over 100 celebrities, among them Catherine Deneuve, in the newspaper Le Monde has caused an uproar in France, where stars are divided about the role of the #MeToo and #BalancetonPorc actions.
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Catherine Deneuve
Among the signatories of the open letter was Oscar-nominated French star Catherine Deneuve. Already known for her controversial stance toward harassment, Deneuve has said she finds the #MeToo and #BalanceTonPorc social media actions "excessive." That's after she expressed her support for director Roman Polanski, who is still wanted in the US for the statutory rape of a 13-year-old girl in 1977.
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Catherine Millet
Modern art expert and editor-in-chief of the magazine Art Press, Catherine Millet was also among the signatories who wrote, "Rape is a crime, but trying to seduce someone, even persistently or cack-handedly, is not — nor is men being gentlemanly a macho attack." Millet is perhaps best known for her book, "The Sexual Life of Catherine M.," a memoir tracing her 30 years in France's swinger scene.
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Ingrid Caven
German-born Chanson singer, Ingrid Caven, added her name to the open letter, which claims that the protest's legitimacy has turned into a "witch-hunt." "Instead of helping women, this frenzy (...) actually helps the enemies of sexual liberty — religious extremists and the worst sort of reactionaries. As women, we do not recognize ourselves in this feminism."
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Brigitte Lahaie
A radio talk show host who got her start in the porn industry in 1976, just a year after it was legalized, Brigitte Lahaie signed the letter, which speaks of a "purifying wave" that knows no limit. "(T)he human being is not monolithic: a woman can in the same day lead a professional team and enjoy being the sexual object of a man without being a 'slut' nor a vile accomplice of the patriarchy."
Image: Getty Images/T.Samson
#BalanceTonPorc
France's version of #MeToo is #BalanceTonPorc, or "call out your pig." Created by NY-based French journalist Sandra Muller, it essentially invites people to name names — and that involves legal risks. Muller herself was asked by lawyers to delete a tweet in which she named a French executive who had said offensive remarks.
Image: Getty Images/AFP/F. Pennant
Ségolène Royal
Prominent feminists quickly responded to the letter signed by Deneuve, saying that it blurred the line between seduction and harassment and in doing so, harmed the "millions of women who suffer from this abuse." Former presidential candidate Ségolène Royal took to Twitter to express her dismay, saying, "It's too bad that our great Catherine Deneuve has signed on to this disconcerting text."
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Emma De Caunes
Among the women who have accused Harvey Weinstein of inappropriate behavior is French actress Emma De Caunes. De Caunes said she had met Weinstein for lunch at a Paris Hotel in 2010. She was invited to his hotel room to discuss a project but after he walked out of his bathroom naked with an erection, Caunes fled. "It was like a hunter with a wild animal," she said. "The fear turns him on."
Image: Getty Images/F.Lo Presti
Florence Darel
In October, actress Florence Darel also came out as having been sexually harassed by Harvey Weinstein, telling People magazine that Weinstein pursued her in the mid '90s and then propositioned her in a hotel room while his then-wife, Eve Chilton, was in the room next door. Darcel, who starred in "The Stolen Children" and "Uranus" has also accused other French producers, including Jacques Dorfmann.
Image: Getty Images/P.Le Segretain
Isabelle Adjani
In October, shortly after the accusations against Harvey Weinstein went public, French actress Isabelle Adjani published an op-ed in the weekly JDD newspaper saying, "(T)his is not a game … When an actress dresses up in a seductive way to get a role, it's not to get raped!" She went on to say that in France, "things are more sneaky" than in the US — but "seduction" cannot be an excuse for assault.
