Opinion: Bryan Singer Is The Harvey Weinstein Of Men, So Why Is He Still Free?

The #MeToo movement finally brought awareness to the sexual harassment and abuse occurring behind the scenes in Hollywood.

Powerful people – predominantly men – were convicted after victims shared their harrowing abuse stories. Disgraced producer Harvey Weinstein was convicted of rape and sexual assault and is now serving a 23-year sentence at Mohawk Correctional Facility. Bill Cosby faced three counts of aggravated assault for drugging and raping women. Financier Jeffrey Epstein was charged with sex trafficking and sex trafficking conspiracy, only to be found dead in his cell before his trial in 2020.

More men were hit with charges after abusing their power, including R. Kelly and NXIVM cult leader Keith Ranier, but some perpetrators went scot-free. Some of them were never convicted but faced numerous sexual abuse allegations, including Bryan Jay Singer, a high-profile director and producer of hit movies, including the X-Men franchise, Superman Returns, and Bohemian Rhapsody.

This is an opinion piece.

Bryan Singer and His Alleged Abuse of Men

In 2017, Singer was fired from the production of Bohemian Rhapsody following reports of conflicts with staff and absences. Days later, Cesar Sanchez-Guzman sued the filmmaker for raping him when he was a minor in 2003. Singer agreed to a $150,000 settlement. According to another suit by attorney Jeff Herman, Singer reportedly drugged and raped an actor and model named Michael Egan III in Hawaii after they met at a party hosted by convicted sex offender Marc Collins-Rector in the 1990s. In a 2019 report by The Atlantic, a 12-month investigation found that four alleged victims said they were seduced and molested by Singer while they were underaged. Victor Valdovinos came forward as one victim, stating that he was molested by the director in 1998 on the set of Apt Pupil. Valdovinos was only in seventh grade.

There were at least five plaintiffs from the production, all minors from the ages of 14 and 17, claiming that members of the crew bullied them into stripping naked for a shower scene. A crew member later said there was a "mess up" on the day of the shoot and that minor and adult extras were somehow mixed up together. The Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office saw no problem with minors being coerced into nudity, and the lawsuit that alleged negligence, unlawful sexual harassment, invasion of privacy, and intentional infliction of emotional distress was settled for an "undisclosed sum," according to the outlet.

Why didn't they press charges? How many high-profile abusers go free because officials refuse to take action against them? Those are the burning questions that I have for the reported victims. You'd think that #MeToo would take down the rapists and the abusers, but Singer's case has shown us that that's not the case. Terry Crews' story is reminiscent of Singer's alleged victims. Crews tweeted about getting sexually assaulted by a Hollywood executive in 2016, accusing Adam Venit, a talent agent at William Morris Endeavor (WME), of groping him at a party. Crews filed a police report regarding the incident.

But most Hollywood executives get special privileges. Venit returned to WME after only serving a suspension following an internal investigation into Crews' allegations, and he did not face criminal charges.

Bryan Singer Turns to Influencers

Singer has, of course, denied all allegations. He fled to Israel in 2019, where he's reportedly residing. To make matters worse, Singer still gets to enjoy his reputation, allegedly recruiting boys for trips to Hawaii, shifting his focus from aspiring actors to Instagram influencers, as reported by LaineyGossip.

A man named Elijah Daniel claims he was approached by one of Singer's friends and asked if he wanted to go to Hawaii with Singer. Other "recruiters" reportedly attempted to get Daniel to meet the disgraced filmmaker.

Daniel alleged that "Bryan Singer is a very high profile and dangerous man who a lot of people are terrified to speak out against, he has been continued to be given a platform, and he is f*cking awful. i just want y’all to be aware he is changing his tactics. stop supporting." Daniel started a petition at Change.org to have Singer investigated by the FBI. However, that was three years ago – and Singer is still living his life as normal.

The problem is that most of the rich and powerful men who abused other men were largely ignored. Recently, Boy Meets World star Matthew Lawrence opened up about his #MeToo experience when he was offered a huge Marvel role. His agency sent him to the hotel room of an Oscar award-winning director. The unnamed director – who wore only a robe – asked Lawrence to take his clothes off so he could take Polaroids of him. He told him that he'd be the new Marvel character if he took his clothes off.  "A lot of these stories, a lot of my other male friends have gone through with both men and women in this industry, but there's a double standard, and this is where I bring Terry Crews. Terry Crews comes out and says it; people are laughing at him," Lawrence said. The #MeToo Movement didn't help everyone, especially the male victims in Hollywood.

To summarize, numerous people have filed a lawsuit against Bryan Singer, the LAPD was aware of the misconduct but did not press charges, and a petition to get him investigated has nearly 60,000 signatures. Are the police working with Hollywood? Is there a network of pedophiles and sexual abusers keeping each other safe? How is it that Singer was able to seek refuge in Israel and continue exploiting young men? How many more rape and abuse victims in Hollywood will be ignored or silenced, never to receive justice?

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