In Support of Amber Heard: Dozens of Feminist Organizations Sign Open Letter – Nationwide

Five months after the Johnny Depp v. Amber Heard trial, more than 130 organizations and individuals have signed an open letter in support of Heard.

The letter, published Wednesday, expressed strong sympathy and encouragement for Heard, 36, who lost a high-profile defamation lawsuit against ex-husband Depp in June. , sued Heard for her calling herself a “public figure representing domestic abuse.”

Dozens of women’s rights groups, including the National Women’s Law Center, Esperanza United and Futures Without Violence, signed the open letter. Numerous doctors, lawyers and academics have also signed their own, including writer and activist Gloria Steinem.

The letter was written by a group of people who claimed to be survivors of domestic violence. In the letter, they referred to the “defamation” of Heard and her supporters as a phenomenon “unprecedented in both violence and scale.”

Throughout the six-week live-streamed trial, Heard was heavily mocked and humiliated by die-hard Depp supporters. Social media was flooded with outrage over the actor’s allegations of domestic violence at the hands of Depp.

“Much of this harassment was fueled by misinformation, misogyny, biphobia, and a monetized social media environment in which allegations of domestic violence and sexual assault against women were ridiculed for entertainment.

An open letter claimed this public shame Aquaman The actor is a danger to other survivors of domestic violence who are trying to speak out.

“In our opinion, the Depp v. Hurd ruling and the ongoing debate about it demonstrate a fundamental misunderstanding of intimate partner and sexual violence and how survivors respond to it. ‘ read the letter.

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The letter concluded by denouncing “Amber Heard’s public shame”.

In a press release, author and domestic violence researcher Emma Katz, who signed the open letter, said “behaviors common to survivors were relentlessly ridiculed and misunderstood during trials.”

“These behaviors common among survivors, such as covering up their injuries with makeup and arranging reunions away from their perpetrators, were widely denounced as signs of deception,” she said in a press release. rice field.

She continued: “Many survivors seemed to have responded with a resounding ‘no’ to the question, ‘Would you believe me if I came forward?’ I saw it unfold.”

On Twitter, Katz and several other signatories said they were “proud” to have signed the open letter.

After the Depp v. Heard trial, a seven-member jury ruled in Depp’s favor, awarding the actor $10 million in compensatory damages and $5 million in punitive damages.

Heard was awarded $2 million in favor of one of her three counterclaims. In a counterclaim, Heard and her lawyers allege that Depp held “agent liability” for three statements made by the actor’s former lawyer, Adam Waldman, to the British tabloid Daily Mail.

Earlier this month, Depp appealed Heard’s partial victory, claiming the verdict in favor of his ex-wife was “wrong.”

In October, Hurd also filed a brief to lay the grounds for an appeal.

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If you or someone you know has been the victim of intimate partner violence or been involved in an abusive situation, visit the Canadian Resource Center for Victims of Crime and seek help. please. It is also available toll-free at 1-877-232-2610.

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