Youtube beauty guru James Charles has been called out by fellow guru Tati Westbrooks in a 40 minute long youtube video. The video outlines Jame Charles’ various negative behaviours towards herself and others since his rise to fame. One huge part is her allegations to his casual sexual harassment of straight men.
James Charles’ is a youtube beauty guru with over 15 million subscribers. Not too many know him outside of the beauty community. Until this past week, where he and Tati have hit top trending on Twitter globally after Tati released a 43 minute video calling him out.
In her video, Tati recalls many incidents of James’ overly sexual conduct. She goes further to allege he has on several occasions conducted himself in a way that could be described as sexual harassment. Most notably towards straight men. “Oh my god, you tried to trick a straight man into thinking he’s gay, yet again… You are using your fame, your power, your money, to play with people’s emotions.”
She further alleges that James’ said to his father at her birthday party, “every man is a little bit gay, there’s no such thing as a straight man.”. She also states he dismissed her concerns of his actions by saying, “Doesn’t matter, I’m a celebrity.”
This is not the first time stories of James Charles’ has been accused of sexually harassing a straight man. Male model Gage Gomez released a youtube video at the end of April explaining how James Charles’ made continuous advances on him despite Gomez telling him repeatedly that he is straight.
Since the story broke, many people on social media have been sharing their own experiences with James Charles and his alleged sexual harassment issues. One person on twitter wrote that back in highschool he grabbed her friend’s genitals without consent.
I went to high school with James Charles. He is a sexual predator and sexually assaulted my friend. I’m glad to see his predator ways have finally came to light. pic.twitter.com/7zcQ0UEb5s
— Lilac Grove (@teenagerlilac) May 11, 2019
How James Charles’ alleged sexual harassment brings up a wider issue of sexual harassment towards men
This huge scandal has brought up a much bigger issue in regards to sexual harassment directed at straight men from gay men. In a twitter poll, we found out over 50% of straight men believe they have been sexually harassed by a gay man.
Question: Has any straight guy been sexually harassed by a gay guy before?
— Harriet Sugarcookie (@HSugarCookie) May 11, 2019
In casual conversation with friends, it seems to be an alarmingly common occurrence. Many brush it off. Some explain, “I take it as a compliment.” It seems that for many, the flamboyant attitude of some gay men makes it easy to forgive their actions, or it’s taken with humour.
In some ways however, that makes it much harder for those who are disturbed by actions to come forward and talk about it. Some are afraid that they are weak to feel uncomfortable by such actions.
No one is weak for feeling vulnerable or uncomfortable by another person’s sexual advancement towards them.
How to handle sexual harassment from a gay man
If you are in a situation that you feel you are being sexually harassed by a gay man, there are some simple steps to try and diffuse the situation.
First of all, it’s important to call it out. If someone is touching any part of your body without consent, call them out on it. If someone is making you feel uncomfortable, call them out on it.
Another important thing to do is to explain your own sexual orientation. Many gay men will stop their advances if you tell them firmly you are straight.
Let someone know. If you are with friends, let them know that someone is making you feel uncomfortable. Suffering in silence helps no one. Having support from those around you can make a huge difference.
Finally, try and physically remove yourself from the situation. It’s not fair that someone should be sexually harassing you in any way. They certainly shouldn’t persist after you explain to them you do not want their advances. Unfortunately, sometimes it isn’t enough and you need to get yourself physically away to safety. This does not make you a coward or weak.
Furthermore, if you experience this in a work environment, you can go to HR and report it. Due to many guys feeling they should be able to handle these situations themselves, they don’t report such incidents. As a result, this leaves room for the sexual predator to continue harassing others. Of course, if your company has no HR department or you’re a freelancer, you also have the option of pursuing the matter legally through lawyers. If in doubt, always seek advice, either from someone close or from professionals.