Streisand says Jackson’s abuse of children
Mega-stars Barbra Streisand and Diana Ross defended Michael Jackson this weekend against two men who claim the pop star sexually assaulted them as boys, events they describe in stark detail in a new HBO documentary Leaving Neverland.
Streisand says she “absolutely” believes the men featured in the HBO documentary, but she also points out that the abuse “didn’t kill them.”
“[Jackson’s] sexual needs were his sexual needs, coming from whatever childhood he has or whatever DNA he has,” Streisand told British newspaper The Times. “You can say ‘molested,’ but those children, as you heard say, they were thrilled to be there. They both married and they both have children, so it didn’t kill them.” (The Times interview is behind a paywall. The New York Daily News published her remarks about Jackson Friday night.)
A Twitter wave crashed on Streisand Friday night, setting off a debate about Jackson. Ross weighed in Saturday afternoon.
This is what’s on my heart this morning. I believe and trust that Michael Jackson was and is A magnificent incredible force to me and to many others. STOP IN THE NAME OF LOVE
The competing reactions mirror the state of the #MeToo era. On the one hand, media has become much more aggressive in covering abuse of power and sexual abuse. There was widespread admiration for the gymnasts who confronted and took down Larry Nasser, a doctor who abused young athletes for many years. Law enforcement across the globe is being praised for taking on the Catholic Church with more robust investigations than ever before.
But at the same time, the forces that have allowed powerful people to get away with this behavior have not disappeared. Prominent allies continue to stand by their own. Donald Trump has faced no Republican-backed inquiry in Congress over allegations of sexual assault. Many prominent figures in the restaurant industry, in media and in Hollywood have sat on the sidelines silently or defended men in their fields accused of misdeeds. Streisand and Ross aren’t outside of the norm in protecting a man they perceive as more important than his accusers.
