Pink News executives accused of sexual misconduct

The couple, who run PinkNews, the world’s largest LGBT news site, have been accused of multiple sexual misconduct by staff members.

Several former staff members told the BBC they witnessed Anthony James, a director at the UK-based company and the husband of its founder, kissing and touching junior colleagues.

More than 30 current and former employees also said there were instances where founder Benjamin Cohen and his husband behaved inappropriately toward younger male employees due to a culture of heavy drinking. Ta.

Representatives for Mr Cohen and Dr James told the BBC that they were unable to make a statement at this time, but that they took the position that the allegations were false.

It is run by Cohen’s family. Ms. Cohen’s husband, Dr. James, a former general practitioner, is the chief operating officer, and her father, Richard, is the company’s lead attorney. Pink News says its mission is to “inform, inspire change and empower people to be themselves.”

It has played an influential role in the movement for marriage equality in Britain, and its annual awards ceremony has attracted the Prime Minister and other politicians.

But away from the cameras and red carpets, multiple former staff members told the BBC they had experienced bullying and sexual misconduct that made them feel unsafe being alone around Mr Cohen and Dr James. He said there were people there. Allegations of misogyny have also surfaced, with people saying a young female member of the staff was asked to represent the couple.

As well as interviewing 33 people who worked at Pink News between 2017 and 2024, they also collected information on staff’s concerns, including formal written complaints, private emails and WhatsApp messages, and reports on stress and mental health. They also reviewed a variety of evidence, including records from doctors who mentioned the issue. It is thought that the work environment at Pink News is the cause.

After the article was first published, the Prime Minister’s press secretary described the report as “deeply worrying”. He did not comment on the details of the incident, but said he believes “everyone should be free” from inappropriate behavior in the workplace.

“People should always have the confidence to come forward in these situations,” he added.

Asked if he would attend the Pink News Awards again following his previous appearance in 2022, Mr Starmer said he could not comment on details at this stage.

Five former staff members told the BBC they witnessed Dr James groping and kissing a junior staff member, who was “too drunk to stand or speak”. I couldn’t agree more.”

The alleged incident took place outside a central London pub where staff were gathering after a Pink News event.

A former Pink News staffer (we’ll call him Gary) said Dr. James led his juniors behind a tree. “Anthony just imposed himself on someone who was too drunk to make decisions for himself,” he said.

People who attended the event said they helped the alleged victim get a taxi home.

However, several former staff members who witnessed the incident said they were too scared to complain. One person said, “He’s the CEO’s husband, what are he going to do? Am I going to lose my job?”

A complaint about this incident was later lodged by a staff member and shared with several members of Pink News’ senior leadership team. The BBC was shown copies of the complaint, but it was not possible to say whether any action had been taken as a result.

Many former employees say they often drink until the early hours of the morning at employee social events or when they go out, and that “Prosecco Fridays” were held in offices where employees were given free wine and chips to boost employee morale. He said it had been introduced.

Another former staff member, whom we will call Damian, said he had personally experienced inappropriate behavior from Mr Cohen in a pub on an evening after work.

“Ben was so drunk that he fell out of his chair and asked me, out of earshot of other colleagues, if I wanted to go back to my husband Anthony’s house because he wasn’t home,” Damian said.

“He said things like, ‘Anthony is always with other guys,’ and he suggested we do something sexual. I was very uncomfortable.”

After that night, Damien said he avoided being alone with Cohen for the rest of his time at Pink News.

“I never heard about it again. I never got an apology,” he said. “I became alarmed because I realized that was a line he thought he could cross.”

Stéphane Kyriacou, who worked at Pink News from 2019 to 2021, said the job started out as a “dream come true” where he didn’t have to “hide or pretend who I am.” But that dream was quickly “shattered,” he said.

Kyriacou said that during a Christmas party, Cohen slapped her on the butt in front of everyone.

“I went silent for a moment. I didn’t know what to say. I was shocked. I remember turning to my friend and saying, ‘What the hell happened?’

Kyriacou said he was no longer fully comfortable being alone around his boss.

He said, “That caused me to avoid him completely. I don’t remember ever speaking to him one-on-one since then.”

Kyriacou said other staff members have also expressed concerns about Cohen, with some group chat messages describing him as “disgusting” and saying staff members feel uncomfortable around him. He is said to have said.

“I didn’t think anyone could complain because we didn’t know what was going to happen to us. Ben is very famous and we didn’t know if he was going to tell people bad things about us. ” said Kyriacou. .

Staff members said Mr. Cohen yelled at them and belittled them, and that there was a “toxic” culture at the company.

“He can talk to you in a very cruel way,” Damien said. “When things go wrong, he hits you like a ton of bricks, so you were just in a constant state of emotional flux.

“He put extreme pressure on me to the point where I would go home and cry. It caused problems in my personal relationship with my own partner, and then (Benjamin) put me under love. Drop the bomb and I thought everything was fine.”

Kai Wilshaw, former head of external affairs at Pink News, said: “When Ben was around, there was sometimes this dark cloud that hung over the office, and it made it really difficult to actually enjoy working there.” ” he said.

“We worked together very well, but it’s clear that he was a very, very difficult character, sometimes overly so, and had a huge impact on the people he worked with.”

Some staff said they witnessed so-called “misogynistic” behavior.

Young female employees were sometimes asked to stand in for Mr. Cohen and Dr. James, people familiar with the matter said.

They said the request was often passed off as a joke, but it made people feel “awkward and uncomfortable.”

One anonymous staffer called it “creepy and vulgar”, while another called it “a part” of how “misogynistic” Pink News is.

A spokesperson for the National Union of Journalists said it had contacted members following “deeply disturbing” allegations that “depict a dysfunctional and completely unacceptable work environment”.

Many staff members who spoke to the BBC said they wanted the culture at Pink News to change so it could continue to tell stories relevant to the LGBT community.

“This is important because the mainstream media doesn’t really cover what’s happening to transgender and queer people,” said Stephen Kyriaku. “I think it would make a big difference if we could overhaul it.”

Gary said there was a need for “genuine gay-led journalism and gay-led stories,” but that “Pink News has unfortunately lost its credibility in that area.”

Mr Damien said he believed the future of Pink News could only be secured if Mr Cohen and Dr James took a step back.

“The fact that you can’t separate the two is very problematic,” he said. “Ben needs to be held accountable. Until that day, we don’t know if Pink News has a future.”

The BBC has been informed that Mr Cohen and Dr James are unable to make a statement at this time, but we understand their position is that the allegations against them are false.