Johnny Depp Deserves an Apology: The Missing Equality Between Men’s and Women’s Allegations of Abuse

Article here. Excerpt:

'Amber Heard is the poster child of court misogyny. Her allegations of domestic abuse towards Johnny Depp, which he countered with abusive records and allegations of his own, cumulated in a lawsuit from each of them against the other. As Johnny Depp v. Amber Heard progresses in court, the media coverage of the events discussed by both parties reveal a troubling picture of what it means to be a battered man in America, evident in both the public’s reaction and Heard’s own flippancy.

When Heard first released her assault accusations, the public burst into outrage (and rightfully so: no woman should have to tolerate abuse from a partner, and there was not yet evidence to discredit her). She was asked to endorse and speak at women’s empowerment events and was hailed as a brave survivor coming forward to share her truth. Johnny Depp suffered an inverse fate—he lost his role in the Fantastic Beasts series, was assailed on social media, and grew into a pariah among his Hollywood counterparts, who were quick to cut their association with him. As his side of the story surfaced, painting Heard as the abuser, Depp was still held at arm’s length by his contemporaries while Heard was celebrated for her courage. Very few of his associates publicly announced support for him in the same manner that occurred for his former partner. The lack of enthusiasm to entertain Depp’s perspective from the beginning highlights a glaring issue in how the public views perpetrators and victims: that women can be victims without further interrogation, but men who speak up should be questioned.'