Jimmy Savile

With you Johanna! Castration with rusty scissors too.

johanna - I heartily endorse your sentiments - and your language!

I too have experience of a family member being abused by an uncle as a child, also a friend whose abuse has caused her great distress which she hasn't resolved. Women are afraid to come forward because they are terrified that they won't be believed and in the past they weren't!
I am afraid that the case with J.S. may be the tip of the iceberg. I wouldn't be surprised if numerous women have suffered abuse from famous actors, pop, stars and sportsmen. I just hope that with these disclosures about J.S. they can pluck up the courage to come forward now before these men are dead and beyond punishment.

When I missed my end of year geography exam, I had to resit it at one of the sister schools. This was in the bursars office. I was 16 at the time.
I took out my geography books and put them on the table.
Bursar asks what the hell are you doing?
Cheeky me says, sorry I have to look up the answers, don't know anything .
He did not say anything. A few minutes later he walked past me, and from behind stuck his hands up my bra.

I was horrified. Ofcourse I did not dare tell my parents. I told all my friends
though, boys and girls. We were a close knit group, and the boys had plenty of cowboy talk about beating him up. That support helped a lot.

And to Crimson, Ella, Jingle , Butty, Ana, hope I have not forgotten anybody ,
much love to you all.

For those who do not like bad language ,please look away now.
I hope all those fucking bastards rot in hell.
Not even those who are already dead.
Those who are still alive! And perpetrating as we speak.

Some mothers have positively offered their young daughters to stars. I am thinking of Mandy Smith, who was 14 when Bill Wyman first exploited her, with her mother's willing connivance. Bizarrely, her mother later married Wyman's son. What a bunch.
Josephine Burge was 15 when her mother allowed Oliver Reed, who was 26 years older, to take her on holiday to Barbados.
I doubt whether this was true of any of the girls targeted by Saville - they seemed to have no idea when they met him of his true motives.

I was approached by a man when I was 13 and asked for directions. He said he was a doctor and offered me a lift in his car. I said I would just tell my friend who was still in the library, and the man drove away. I didn't tell my mother because I was too embarrassed to repeat the questions he had asked me. I wasn't really bothered, but I have since wondered if I could have prevented him from preying on other girls.

The Tuesday, February 14, 1978 entry is quite funny too. (The Duke of Edinburgh is mentioned interestingly)

this could be the same piece (scroll down to the Frankie Howerd picture

Yes, I heard that radio programme, and also the bit where Giles Brandreth said he has spoken to somone else (it may have been Max Bygraves, but don't hold me to that) who said that they had exactly the same experience with FH over 30 years before! He also made the point that FH seemed to often try it on with married men, almost as if that would soften the blow of refusal.

Bob Monkhouse's autobiography says the same about Frankie Howerd. He was an absolute pest apparently.

My sources tell me that more and more women are coming forward and making statements about their experiences with JS. The carpet is being lifted.

Jess - Yes, I listened to it - interesting but not surprising! A lighthearted view of a deeper undercurrent running through showbiz.

On a slightly lighter, but not off-thread note, did anyone hear Giles Brandreth reading memoirs on the radio after lunch, talking about various no-longer-with-us kings of camp and revealing how a showbiz personality (was it Frankie Howard?) tried to ... well seduce, I suppose, is the word... him. GB was an adult at the time and, having been locked in the flat (!) responded by going to stand and stare out of the window while FH put his trousers back on. I think in his case temporary embarrassment was the only effect. As a slightly camp but straight man himself, he must have had a number of such experiences, and is probably being discrete about the still-alive. Oh and another dead comedian suddenly appearing naked and trying to encourage him into the hot tub !!! What images.

And the more I think about it how bloody angry I am [Angry]

I'm getting off this thread again! How did I get back here?

Just read through the whole thread and what is coming across is how tentative and ashamed those of you who have had theses experiences are,it feels as though you feel you have no right to complain or say anything it is as your fault you invited these actions.
These were inflicted on you as young women or children by family members,friends,and people you trusted,each of you who have posted sound as if you have experienced this and feel ashamed,it has opened up so many reactions and comments and painful experiences.
I have just been talking to two friends of E's abused by a 15 year old boy at the beginning of the summer,this will stay with these two girls for the rest of their lives,I have just heard the raw pain in their voices and the confusion this has caused and the fall out in our small community.
I know the victims are not always women and girls,why should the perpetrators of these crimes get away with this nellie xxxxx for all of those abused wether you posted or not xxxxxxxxlove nellie

In my case Nfk it really was "kiddie".

I don't think any of us knew how to cope with groping men of whatever age back then. It just wasn't talked about. The only warning we seemed to get was not to 'go too far' with a boy - and that was really only to avoid the shame of an unmarried pregnancy!

Butter you are so brave to say what you have done - you are among friends here

There's a strong sense of women taking back the power today. What a good feeling when I hear of women outing a secret they never consented to keeping. Bravo to each one of you, and 14th February can't come soon enough!

So now Gary Glitter is becoming involved again, how many others? This could well open a very large can of worms. The posts so far from Crimson and others indicate how widespread a problem 'kiddy fiddling' was. Let alone others forms of abuse. Perhaps I was fortunate to have been a gawky unattractive child, but it meant I had no idea how to cope with groping old men when I hit teenage. It always felt it was our fault didn't it. How awful, foolish and impossible it must have been when it was a 'Star' 'fiddling'.

Thanks Jess ~ Sorry to hear of your experiences. I hope others are ok, too.

I've just taken a step back for reflection, after thinking 'oh bugger blast, I wish I hadn't posted that' and wished for a delete button. Reflecting earlier might have been wiser! But I'd come to the point of getting really fed up of avoiding this issue of sexual abuse which seems to have cropped up quite frequently on various threads , and wanting to 'give voice' and say to hell with it. So, in retrospect, I am pleased to have posted what I did. It's part of who I am.

~ Dance on the day of 14th February 2013 ~ One Billion Rising.

This thread reminded me of the story of Joyce Maynard who ended her affair with JD Salinger (yep the famous author) at age 19. She was 18 when they got involved after he contacted her when he read a piece she had written and saw the accompanying photograph, he was 35 years her senior, her parents encouraged it "in awe of the man" and it took her years to recover from the affair, she had gone to see him after something like 25 years, as we all know he lived his life as a recluse - and wrote: "Last time I saw him,” Maynard wrote, “I was a frightened and crushed girl . . . and he was, to me, the most powerful man in the world. . . . He told me I was unworthy. But when I stood on his doorstep the other day, I was a strong and brave 44-year-old woman and I knew he had been wrong.” She's not had an easy life - bulimia etc but has had success as an author, screenwriter. Here's quite an interesting article about J.D. Salinger's women, from last year nymag.com/nymetro/arts/features/2162/. I hope this thread isn't too upsetting for some - hugs to all.

Part of Eddie Mairs PM prog on Radio 4 at 5pm will be an interview with the maker of tonights TV programme speaking about how the documentary cam to be made.

I've just caught up on this thread. It must have been hard to make these disclosures and it does show the level of trust that has grown up on Gnet that you felt able to do this. Hope you are all OK and not regretting it. ((((hugs))))

All quiet this afternoon - I was just checking in to see if you folks are Ok after earlier painful disclosures. Emotional and physical abuse in my past - but not this kind fortunately.