Evelyn Yang reveals she was sexually assaulted by her doctor

SCREEN CAPTURE / CNN

Evelyn Yang, wife of presidential candidate Andrew Yang, was interviewed by CNN.

Andrew Yang's wife, Evelyn, says she was sexually assaulted by her OB-GYN in 2012 when she was pregnant with her first child.

Inspired by the support she and her husband has received when talking about their child's autism, she decided it was time she made the assault public in an exclusive interview with CNN Thursday (Jan. 16).

"Something about being on the trail and meeting people and seeing the difference that we've been making already has moved me to share my own story about it, about sexual assault," she told CNN.

"Everyone has their own MeToo story. It's far too prevalent," Yang continued. "But not everyone can tell their story. Not everyone has the audience or platform to tell their story, and I actually feel like I'm in this very privileged position to be able to do that."

In 2012 when she was pregnant with her first child, she found an obstetrician-gynecologist at Columbia University Medical Center.

After several visits, the doctor began asking her personal questions about her sex life with her husband. The line of questioning made her uncomfortable but because of his reputation and the difficulty of finding another reputable OB-GYN, she continued to go to the doctor. "The idea of changing doctors was overwhelming for me," said Yang.

SCREEN CAPTURE / CNN

Evelyn Yang with one of her son's.

In her final visit, as she was preparing to leave, the doctor said, "I think you might need a C-section," as he pulled her towards him, Yang relates to CNN, and began undressing her and continued the exam examining her internally with an ungloved hand.

"I knew it was wrong. I knew I was being assaulted," she continued her story.

"I just kind of froze like a deer in headlights, just frozen. I knew it was happening. I could feel it," she added. "I remember trying to fix my eyes on a spot on the wall and just trying to avoid seeing his face as he was assaulting me, just waiting for it to be over."

She didn't tell her husband or her family because she knew it would upset them. She blamed herself.

After she learned that the physician ended his practice, she learned that a woman had accused him of sexual misconduct.

She decided it was time she told her husband what had happened to her.

She hired a lawyer and filed a case against the doctor. That's when she found out that other women had filed complaints about the physician. The suit against the doctor ended in a plea deal where he lost his license and was found guilty of only two incidents and no jail time.

Yang's case was not among those to which he pleaded guilty. The verdict didn't satisfy the plaintiffs.

She and 31 other women filed a civil suit against the doctor and accused the university of being compliant, alleging that the school knew of the doctor's behavior but allowed him to continue his practice.

Both the school and the NY DA's Office expressed sympathy with the women but didn't comment any further on the pending case.

CNN reports that it wasn't until after the #MeToo movement, and the Weinstein case came out, that the women realized realized that they had been betrayed twice, said Yang; once by the doctor and again by the judicial system.

"It's like getting slapped in the face and punched in the gut," she said to CNN. "The DA's office is meant to protect us, is meant to serve justice, and there was no justice here."

"I'm extraordinarily proud of Evelyn for telling her story, and my heart breaks every time I think of what she had to experience. She is my best friend and the bravest woman I know," Andrew Yang told CNN. 

"No one deserves to be harmed and treated the way she and countless other women have been," he continued. "When victims of abuse come forward, they deserve our belief, support, and protection. I hope that Evelyn's story gives strength to those who have suffered and sends a clear message that our institutions must do more to protect and respond to women."

"My experience with the sexual assault and all that happened afterwards is such a powerful and upsetting example of the truth that women are living with every day. And I just happen to be able to have a platform to talk about it," Evelyn Yang said.

She realizes that through her husband's presidential campaign and the platform it provides, she has a voice that could make a difference -- both for other survivors of Hadden and for women who have dealt with this more broadly.

"I need to use that voice," she told CNN. "I feel like it's something that's an obligation but also a privilege and a gift that I get to share my story now and also help other women."

Assailant confesses to strangling University of Illinois student

TWITTER

College student Ruth George was assaulted and strangled to death.

ASAM NEWS

A judge Tuesday in Chicago denied bail to a 26-year-old man who police say confessed to sexually assaulting and then strangling to death a University of Illinois Chicago student, reports ABC7.

Donald Thurman faces charges of first degree murder and sexual assault.

The victim has been identified as 19-year-old Ruth George, an Indian American who originally came from Hyderabad in India.

The Chicago Tribune reports her family reported her missing Saturday. Police later found her dead in the backseat of her car in a campus garage.

“Ruth lived out her deep faith in Jesus by loving and serving others, leaving a legacy of Christ-centered kindness and sacrifice,” her mother said in a statement. 

“She was the beloved baby of our family. We grieve with hope. We hold no hatred towards the perpetrator, but our hope is no other girl would be harmed in this way and for a mother to never experience this type of heartache,” said the mother, who asked that her name not be used.

George graduated from Naperville Central High School in 2018 and excelled on the school’s gymnastics team.

“For the girls who were new on the team each season, she was always one to help make everyone feel welcome, and the girls were drawn to her because of that,” teammate Mary Grace Maxwell said to the Chicago Tribune. “It’s incredibly heartbreaking to know someone took this beautiful girl away from us.”

The prosecutor told ABC7 the incident happened after the suspect directed catcalls at George as she walked by.

“The defendant was angry that he was being ignored. The defendant came up behind the victim, grabbed her around the neck from behind, and put her into a choke hold,” said Cook County Asst. State’s Attorney James Murphy. “With his arms still wrapped around the victim’s neck the defendant dragged the victim from the ground and he opened her back seat car door.”

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Harvey Weinstein assistant: 'He liked Chinese girls'

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On 'The Today Show," Rowena Chiu told about Harvey Weinstein attempted to rape her

“Harvey Weinstein told me he liked Chinese girls,"said Rowena Chiu, Weinstein's former assistant.

"He liked them because they were discreet, he said — because they knew how to keep a secret. Hours later, he attempted to rape me.”

Chiu went public last month to share on The Today Show that Weinstein allegedly attempted to rape her in 1998.

Chiu wrote an opinion piece, published Saturday (Oct. 5), for The New York Times that explained how the power dynamics of gender, race, seniority, and wealth ultimately worked against her.

“I was a woman in an industry in which women still struggle to be taken seriously,” she wrote. “Harvey was a man in an industry in which men dominate, and he often used that dominance to claim sexual favors.”

Chiu had signed a nondisclosure agreement (NDA) that prevented her from sharing any information with others. She said she attempted suicide twice before leaving Miramax, Weinstein’s entertainment company.

“I lived in constant fear of Harvey’s abuse, control and power; that the story would come back to haunt me; that I would inadvertently slip up on my promise to never speak of this,” wrote Chiu. “I suffered, completely isolated from those around me who could have provided the support I needed: a loved one, a trusted pastor, a respected therapist — even the man I would marry. I spent decades grappling with guilt that I took the job, that I hadn’t left the room sooner, that it was somehow my fault, that I hadn’t handled Harvey ‘robustly’ enough, that I was not tough enough to work in the film industry.”

In September 2018, Chiu was one of the millions who tuned in to watch Dr. Christine Blasey Ford testify against Brett Kavanaugh. Chiu ended up participating in a 2019 group interview with Dr. Ford and other survivors. She hesitated for a while before agreeing to go public with her story in She Said: Breaking the Sexual Harassment Story That Helped Ignite a Movement, written by her interviewers Jodi Kantor and Megan Twohey, the two NY Times journalists who contributed to outing Weinstein in 2017.

Chiu said that after her appearance on The Today Show, Weinstein threatened to sue her.

“I don’t know what the path ahead looks like. But for now, I am getting used to being stopped in the street to talk about #MeToo; I am happy that my children can know my secret; I am grateful to be able to be honest with family and friends, who are coming forward in droves to offer support. I can briefly glory in the relief that I am no longer sitting on a sickening secret that has — finally and ultimately — come to light.”

Read the full opinion piece here.

Stanford sexual assault victim releases short film

SCREEN CAPTURE / YOUTUBE

Chanel Miller illustrated the animated short film 'I Am With You.'

On the same day that her memoir was released, sexual assault victim Chanel Miller and her publisher released a short animated film on Youtube summarizing the ordeal she underwent.

“When you are assaulted, an identity is given to you. It threatens to swallow up everything you plan to do and be. I became Emily Doe,” Miller says in a voice-over as animations drawn by her appear on screen. “Assault teaches you to shrink, makes you afraid to exist. Shame, really, can kill you.”

The Chinese American woman was raped by a white man on the Stanford campus in 2015. At the time, she was assigned a pseudonym Emily Doe to avoid identifying her as a victim. It wasn't until earlier this month that her true identity was revealed.

Miller wrote, illustrated and narrates the short titled “I Am With You” which was released in conjunction with the release of her memoir “Know My Name,” published by Viking Press.

At the end of the short film, she offers an affirmation: “Nobody wants to be defined by the worst thing that’s happened to them. No one gets to define you. You do. You do. My name is Chanel, and I am with you.”

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Rape victim on '60 Minutes:' Now -- everybody knows her name

SCREEN CAPTURE / CBS

Chanel Miller is interviewed by Bill Whitaker on '60 Minutes.'

ASAM NEWS & VIEWS FROM THE EDGE

For years, she was only known as Emily Doe, a pseudonym  for the victim raped on the Stanford University campus. Last night on national television, the victim spoke out as Chanel Miller.

In the half-hour interview with Bill Whitaker on 60 Minutes that was aired Sunday (Sept. 22), Miller, whose mother is Chinese, recounted her ordeal from the night she was assaulted in 2015, the trial and her ongoing recovery.

Miller woke up in a hospital after blacking out at a fraternity party at Stanford not knowing what had happened to her. She admits she had drank a mixture of vodka, whiskey and champagne. She was unconscious during the attack.

Doctors examined the Asian American victim and told her she had been sexually assaulted. After her release from the hospital, Miller decided not to tell anybody, including her parents, until more details were unveiled. It took days before the story popped up on her social media news feed.

“In order to survive, you just shut everything down. You have to function. You have to go to work in the morning. So it’s much easier to just repress everything,” she told Whitaker.

“Yes. It was surreal having the news broken to me by the Internet. I was alone, sitting at my desk, surrounded by coworkers, reading about how I was stripped and then penetrated and discarded in a bed of pine needles behind a dumpster. And that’s how I figured out all of those elements. And they all added up. And I finally understood,” said the 26-year old author.

She acknowledges she had too much to drink, but doesn’t back down to those who may feel she had it coming.

“Rape is not a punishment for getting drunk," the Asian American writer told  Whitaker. "And we have this really sick mindset in our culture, as if you deserve rape if you drink to excess. You deserve a hangover, a really bad hangover, but you don’t deserve to have somebody insert their body parts inside of you.”

During the trial, Turner's lawyers portrayed their client as a star athlete, a potential Olympic swimmer whose life would be ruined if convicted. Upon conviction, Turner's father said his son should not have to go to prison for “20 minutes of action.”

During the sentencing portion of the trail, Miller was able to confront Brock in her statement in court. Her powerful hour-long testimony was published by Buzzfeed and it went viral as a statement in behalf of sexual assault victims around the world.

During the 60 Minutes interview, Miller read part of that testimony: "I had to force myself to relearn my real name, my identity. To relearn that this is not all that I am. That I am not just a drunk victim at a frat party found behind a dumpster, while you are the All­ American swimmer at a top university, innocent until proven guilty, with so much at stake. I am a human being who has been irreversibly hurt, my life was put on hold for over a year, waiting to figure out if I was worth something."

Brock Turner received six months in jail for sexual assault. He was released  after serving  only three months. The nation reacted with outrage to the high-profile case's light sentencing. Two years later, Judge Aaron Persky would be recalled by 60 percent of the vote.

Miller, who graduated from UC-Santa Barbara, wrote about her experience in a book due out Tuesday, (Sept. 24) by Viking Books, entitled "Know My Name."

Below is a portion of the 60 Minutes report. For the entire segment, click here.

Finally, Miller, concluded her victim's statement with a message to assault victims everywhere:

"And finally, to girls everywhere, I am with you. On nights when you feel alone, I am with you. When people doubt you or dismiss you, I am with you. I fought everyday for you. So never stop fighting, I believe you. As the author Anne Lamott once wrote, 'Lighthouses don’t go running all over an island looking for boats to save; they just stand there shining.' Although I can’t save every boat, I hope that by speaking today, you absorbed a small amount of light, a small knowing that you can’t be silenced, a small satisfaction that justice was served, a small assurance that we are getting somewhere, and a big, big knowing that you are important, unquestionably, you are untouchable, you are beautiful, you are to be valued, respected, undeniably, every minute of every day, you are powerful and nobody can take that away from you. To girls everywhere, I am with you."

EDITOR'S NOTE: If you are a survivor of sexual assault, you can call the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 800.656.HOPE (4673) or visit hotline.rainn.org/onlineand receive confidential support.
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UI professor accused of bullying and raping Chinese students

GARY GANG XU

ASAM NEWS

A lawsuit from two former students from the University of Illinois, at Urbana-Champagne alleges a former professor assaulted, bullied and raped several students -- targeting female Chinese students, reports Pro Publica Illinois and NPR Illinois.
The suit names former UIUC professor Gary Gang Xu. A professor at another college joined the two students in filing the suit. which seeks compensation for emotional and physical distress and sexual abuse.

Xu resigned last year from his tenured position in East Asian Studies after the university concluded he had an inappropriate relationship with a student.

In the lawsuit, Xingjian Sun said she was a 19-year old freshman when she felt pressured to give in to Xu’s sexual advances over a two-year period. The Chicago Tribune reports the relationship became verbally and physically abusive and led to two suicide attempts.

“I think that she was done being bullied by him,” her attorney Alison Wilkinson said to the Tribune. “This is a very big step for her to come forward and no longer be a victim but to be a survivor and a fighter.”

Pro Publica reports the lawsuit comes at a time when Urbana-Champagne has enrolled 569 Chinese students from China. That’s more than any other university.

“We are aware of the filing and are reviewing it. We cannot comment on any of its contents at this time,” the university said in a statement.

Xu has not commented.

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Author alleges that Russel Simmons raped her

SIL LAI ABRAMS

CHINESE AMERICAN author Sil Lai Abrams accused music mogul Russell Simmons of rape and Extra host A.J. Calloway of sexual assault in a recent report by The Hollywood Reporter.

“I needed to tell my story, to say his name out loud, to let people know what he had done to me,” Abrams, 47, told THR in an article published Thursday (July 5).

The Hawaii-born Abrams, whose mother is a Chinese immigrant, is an anti-domestic violence advocate, author and former model. She said that Simmons raped her in 1994 and she was sexually assaulted by Extra host A.J. Calloway 12 eyars later in 2006.

She first wrote about the sexual assaults in her 2007 in her book No More Drama, but didn't reveal who her assailants were. In the book, she describes being raped in 1994 by “Ronald,” a man “well known for only dating models and for his hard-partying lifestyle funded by his very successful record label.” A “well-spoken B-list celebrity Ray,” she claims, assaulted her in 2006.

In response to the Hollywood Reporter story, Simmons’ lawyer, Patricia Glaser, said in a statement on Simmons’ behalf:

Russell Simmons provided overwhelming material to THR [The Hollywood Reporter) (some on the record and some off the record) to support his unequivocal denial of any wrongdoing and THR chose to ignore it. It is extremely disappointing that a 24-year-old story, which did not get past very credible news outlets, was published in light of the massive contrary evidence.

Attorney Lisa E. Davis sent this statement from Calloway:

I was disappointed to read the false allegations about me in The Hollywood Reporter. As I have maintained from the beginning, these allegations are not true. When I was first notified about these allegations by law enforcement more than a decade ago, I fully cooperated from the beginning and the case was dismissed.

THR chose to publish these meritless allegations without a thorough investigation of the facts. I intend to vigorously defend my reputation against these false accusations and will not let this cause further harm to my family.

A total of 17 women have now accused music producer and entrepreneur Russell Simmons of sexual misconduct, all of which he has denied. 

In a statement from his representative, Simmons denied the allegations to PEOPLE magazine: 

“I vehemently deny all the allegations made against me. They have shocked me to my core as I have never been abusive or violent in any way in my relations with women. I have submitted myself to multiple lie detector tests. I denied forced sex and sexual harassment allegations brought against me in each test; I also answered no to the question, “Have you ever physically forced any woman to have sexual intercourse?” I passed all of the lie detector tests.”

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Sen. Al Franken's behavior not funny, says Filipina American deejay

ABC

Leeann Velez Tweeden

SENATOR AL FRANKEN, D-Minnesota, a progressive politician, is in a heap of trouble because of his treatment of a Filipina/American deejay during a USO tour.

Los Angeles radio host Leeann Velez Tweeden tweeted that Franken kissed her without her consent and fondled her breasts while she was asleep during a 2006 USO Tour in the MIddle East.

Inspired by the #MeToo campaign that was launched by the women making public the sexual assaults and harassment by movie mogul Harvey Weinstein, Tweeden told how Franken wrote a comedy skit that ended with a kiss. During a rehearsal of the skit, Tweeden claims that the senator grabbed her behind her neck and forcibly kissed her, forcing his tongue into her mouth.

She pushed him off and told him not to do that again. She said she went to the bathroom to rinse the taste of him out of her mouth.

Franken apparently didn't stop there. At the end of the tour on the flight back to the U.S., a photograph was taken of Franken appearing to grope the breasts of a sleeping Tweeden with the senator leering back at the camera.

This photo shows Sen. Al Franken and the sleeping Leeann Tweeden.

"I certainly don't remember the rehearsal for the skit in the same way, but I send my sincerest apologies to Leeann," said Franken. "As to the photo, it was clearly intended to be funny but wasn't. I shouldn't have done it."

“Nothing about it is ever funny,” said Tweeden. “Is it funny if he does that to your sister, to your daughter or to your wife?”

When the incriminating photo was made public, Franken personally apologized to Tweeden and she said that she accepts the apology. Tweeden said she accepted Franken’s apology and was not calling for Franken to step down from office.

Franken has called for an ethics investigation on himself, and said he would gladly cooperate. But that might be too late for his political career as calls for his resignation, to the delight of his enemies on the right and sadly by former liberal allies.

Tweeden is not the first Filipina who has spoken out about sexual assault and harassment. One of the first women to speak out was Ambra Battaliana Gutierrez, an Italian model with Filipino heritage, who told the story of her encounters with Harvey Weinstein. Since an article about her meetings with the Hhollywood power broker became public, more than 70 women have come forth to tell their experiences with Weinstein.

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George Takei denies accusation of sexual assault

George Takei

AN ACCUSATION of sexual assault against actor and social activist George Takei denied the accusation against him of sexual assault.

The Hollywood Reporter this week, published the 1981 account by Scott R. Brunton, in which the former model accused Takei of "groping at his crotch and trying to take his underwear off" after he allegedly had a drink at Takei's home and became disoriented.

"The next thing I remember I was coming to and he had my pants down around my ankles and he was groping my crotch and trying to get my underwear off and feeling me up at the same time, trying to get his hands down my underwear," Brunton said in his report to The Hollywood Reporter. 

"I came to and said, 'What are you doing?!' I said, 'I don't want to do this.' He goes, 'You need to relax. I am just trying to make you comfortable. Get comfortable.' And I said, 'No. I don't want to do this.' And I pushed him off and he said, 'OK, fine.' And I said I am going to go and he said, 'If you feel you must. You're in no condition to drive.' I said, 'I don't care I want to go.' So I managed to get my pants up and compose myself and I was just shocked. I walked out and went to my car until I felt well enough to drive home, and that was that."

Takei is strongly denying that the events ever occurred and gave an emotional response this morning (Nov. 11) via Twitter and Facebook . He wrote about how hurtful the claims are in his Facebook post, which reads: 

"Friends,
I'm writing to respond to the accusations made by Scott R. Brunton. I want to assure you all that I am as shocked and bewildered at these claims as you must feel reading them. 

The events he describes back in the 1980s simply did not occur, and I do not know why he has claimed them now. I have wracked my brain to ask if I remember Mr. Brunton, and I cannot say I do. But I do take these claims very seriously, and I wanted to provide my response thoughtfully and not out of the moment. 

Right now it is a he-said / he-said situation, over alleged events nearly 40 years ago. But those that know me understand that non-consensual acts are so antithetical to my values and my practices, the very idea that someone would accuse me of this is quite personally painful.   

Brad, who is 100 percent beside me on this, as my life partner of more than 30 years and now my husband, stands fully by my side. I cannot tell you how vital it has been to have his unwavering support and love in these difficult times.
Thanks to many of you for all the kind words and trust. It means so much to us. 

Yours in gratitude,
George"

Take is the latest celebrity to be accused of sexual misconduct after the accusations against movie mogul Harvey Weinstein became public last month. Since then women in every profession, not just the entertainment industry, have been revealing incidents in which they were victimized by sexual misconduct, harassment or assaults by men in power. 

Among the well-known me who have been accused of sexual misconduct are:against director Brett Ruttner, actors Kevin Spacey, Dustin Hoffman and Ben Affleck and comedian Louis CK, rappers R. Kelly and Roy Moore, GOP candidate for U.S. senator for Alabama.

Takei is best known for playing Hikaru Sulu in the original 1960s Star Trek series and follow-up films. He came out as gay in 2005, and has been a vocal activist for LGBT rights on social media.

He has also been active and revered in the AAPI community, where is often referred to as "Uncle George," mentoring and supporting AAPI projects and actors, often speaking out on various causes including the lack of Asian/American representation in the motion picture industry. 

The stage musical Allegiance is largely based on his own experiences as a young child in the WWII Japanese American internment camps.

At age 80, he had become gained celebrity status among younger fans for his use of social media for criticizing the Donald Trump administration's policies on immigration, justice and equity.
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Eddie Huang recounts day he was sexually assaulted on church trip

Eddie Huang: “We can’t always control what people do to us, but we do have the power to define it." 

ASAM NEWS

FROM ACCUSATIONS against studio executive Harvey Weinstein to journalist Mark Halperin to actor Kevin Spacey, stories of sexual assault abound.

Now you can add author and celebrity chef Eddie Huang to the long list of people who say they’ve been victimized.

Huang penned a first hand account of his incident during a ski trip with a Baptist Church for The Cut.

Huang wrote he was just sitting on his bed watching TV, waiting for the adults to go to sleep so he could sneak out in the middle of the night. Suddenly a chaperone he described as a tall dark White man walked in, asking if he could use the shower.

The man emerged from the shower naked with a big erection standing right in front of Huang. The man read from the bible for 15 minutes before leaving.

“At first I just looked away and focused on the basketball game,” Huang wrote. “He had a big d*ck and guys with big d*cks always enjoyed walking around locker rooms with the sh*t on front street. I figured he was just some weirdo trying to show out and air dry like Cuba Gooding Jr. in Jerry Maguire. After a few seconds of trying to look away, I realized he wasn’t moving from the foot of my bed and that’s when panic set in. I felt trapped. I looked toward my roommate who seemed just as flustered, but we weren’t sure what was happening. Was this okay? Could I say something? I was a guest of the church, but what the f*ck? ”

Huang said he didn’t talk about it again until he saw his roommate decades later. He asked the roomie if he remembered what happened.

“Yeah, yeah, I do.”

“It was bad, right?”

“I definitely remember something happened that was off. What do you remember?”

“I mean, that dude stood in front of my bed with his d*ck hard and read the Bible for 15 minutes.”

“I can’t confirm those exact details, but I remember something very wrong happened. I would not deny what you said, but I honestly can’t remember the exact image of what happened.”

“I’m not crazy though right? That happened!”

“No, no, it happened. You’re probably right, I just can’t confirm everything specifically.”

Those feelings came rushing back again when news about Spacey became public. Huang suddenly felt that he was not alone.

“We can’t always control what people do to us, but we do have the power to define it. When I look back, nothing was actually taken. I was hijacked, but I fought my way back and arrived as the man I’m supposed to be.”
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