John Travolta's now been accused of sexual assault by not one, but two, masseurs. But so far, many media outlets are treating the allegations as a big joke. Are they taking the lawsuits less seriously because the alleged victims are men?
(Getty Images / Ryan Pierse)
"Crazy lawsuit alert," opens a Reuters story on the first accusation against John Travolta: A masseur alleges that Travolta touched his leg and genitals, then masturbated in front of him and told him, "I'll jerk you off." Or as Reuters puts it: "The unnamed victim was apparently so desirable Travolta allegedly refused to take 'no' for an answer." If the allegations are true — and Travolta vehemently denies them — then the masseur's "desirability" would hardly be at fault. But the line exemplifies the patronizing tone of much coverage of the suit.
Vanity Fair has a post titled "The Most Bizarrely Inane Details of the John Travolta/Masseur Lawsuit Revealed" (an earlier version called them "Hilariously Inane"), which says the document "reads more like bizarre, R-rated fan fiction than a real event" and invites readers to "enjoy." The Atlantic Wire, in similarly winking fashion, says the masseur accused Travolta of rubbing his leg and "other things in the midsection vicinity."
Via: vanityfair.com
