Unsilenced Survivors

The idea of “cancel culture” often comes up during conversations about sexual assault. Should predators–especially high-profile predators–be “canceled” and prohibited from pursuing their careers? Kendra Sheets and Rich Gill, hosts of the enough! podcast join Karen Barth Menzies and Shawn Vincent to talk about whether there is a path forward for abusers who take responsibility for their actions, acknowledge the harm they have caused, and demonstrate that they have learned from their mistakes and adjusted their behavior. 

Today's guests, Rich and Kendra, founded their “enough!” podcast to provide a platform for survivors to speak out and to shed light on the problem of sexual assault in the music industry. Kendra asked Rich to be her podcast partner, in part, because he was such a good listener. The key to being an ally for assault survivors, Rich says, is listening compassionately without judgment and without trying to offer solutions. Listening, Kendra says, sometimes means being willing and able to absorb “an emotional, passionate trauma dump.” 

Susan Kryhoski suffered repeated sexual assaults from a trusted pediatrician when she was just 11 years old. Decades later, Susan is pursuing justice and has filed a legal claim against the hospital that employed the now-deceased doctor. As part of her healing journey, Susan has become an advocate, helping other survivors find their voices so they can begin to address the trauma they endured. “What I have learned,” Susan says, “is the only way you can truly heal is to talk about the trauma.”

Attorney Karen Barth Menzies says, “If survivors can gain the courage to say it out loud, even to themselves, and then to another person, that is what generates a discussion in the community and starts to reveal other survivors that are out there. Then you have a community of survivors supporting each other in a way that no one else can.”

When Susan began the process of filing her lawsuit, she discovered another woman had filed claims against the same doctor. Since speaking out publicly, other survivors of her predator have reached out to share their experiences and lend their support. Susan describes the feeling of learning there are other survivors as “bittersweet.” Susan says, “It is such a multi-faceted grief. It is grief for her. It is grief for me. It is anger. And it is validation.”

In this podcast, survivors are referred to frequently as “women,” especially because all the known survivors of this particular predator are women. Each participant in this conversation understands and respects that sexual assault survivors are men, women, non-binary, and trans. The themes in this podcast are relevant to all survivors, regardless of the pronouns used in this conversation. 

Attorney Karen Barth Menzies welcomes listeners to Unsilenced Survivors. She explains that Unsilenced Survivors is a safe place for sexual assault survivors, advocates, and allies to tell their stories, talk about the work they are doing, and just as importantly, listen to the voices of others. Unsilenced Survivors is part of a grass-roots survivor network meant to let survivors know they are not alone, connect survivors to resources, and draw attention to advocacy organizations. Part of our mission is to help define a vocabulary for talking about sexual assault so more people can feel comfortable taking part in a constructive conversation about a difficult topic. To maintain power and control, sexual predators count on survivors remaining silent. When survivors speak out, and when others listen – we take the power and control away from the predators and give it to the survivors.

In a candid conversation, Kari Krome recounts her challenging experience with past assaults within the music industry, highlighting how these issues were ignored until media coverage and legal actions brought attention. Kari details the normalized abuse and the systemic silencing tactics employed by industry figures like Kim Fowley and Rodney Bingenheimer. The role of Rodney Bingenheimer's English Disco in exploiting young girls is discussed, alongside the deceptive allure of the glam rock scene. Kari emphasizes the sense of empowerment she felt upon speaking out, despite initial dismissals, underscoring the importance of allyship and collective survivor support. Karen Barth Menzies laments the industry's loss of voices like Kari's due to systemic abuse and advocates for a future where women's contributions are recognized without male intermediation, stressing the need for industry-wide accountability and a supportive network for women.

The podcast contains detailed discussions of sexual assault and systemic abuse within the music industry, which might be sensitive.

Link: https://www.UnsilencedSurvivors.com