This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Ithaca chapter.
UPDATE: On March 9, Sony told The Wrap that they will soon be severing ties with Dr. Luke. Hopefully we won’t have to wait much longer to #FreeKesha.
Kesha Rose’s recent petition to terminate her contract with Sony Music and to stop working with her producer, Dr. Luke, was denied, and many were outraged.
This petition is a repercussion of a suit filed by Kesha in 2014. In this suit, she claims she was “sexually, physically, verbally and emotionally” abused by Dr. Luke. Dr. Luke was quick to shut down this lawsuit by suing Kesha back; his suit suggested that Kesha and her mother were lying about the sexual abuse.
It is almost as if Sony is looking the other way from the atrocities that Kesha has dealt with in her time with Dr. Luke because he has written so many #1 songs, and they don’t want to lose him as a producer.
The only thing that Kesha asks for in this petition, is to be released from her contract with Sony that promises six more albums: all produced with Dr. Luke.
It’s baffling that Zayn Malik was let out of his contract with Sony because he was “unhappy”, but a woman who has been abused and raped by a man is not, and is made out to be a liar.
Kesha’s story under oath has changed, as she at first denied that she had ever been roofied or raped by Dr. Luke, but admits that she did this out of fear.
When you’re stuck working with the man who raped you, wouldn’t you try to protect yourself in any way possible? Sexual assault happens too often and at times it can be hard to recognize that it even happened. With different power struggles in relationships, it’s easier to deny it than face social ridicule.
Any occurrence of sexual assault is one too many, as the campaign by “It’s On Us” states. After the presentation by Vice President Joe Biden at the Oscars, he made this campaign more widely known, and encouraged others to take the pledge to prevent men and women from being raped. You can go to itsonus.org and take the pledge yourself.
Dealing with sexual assault is a traumatic experience that no one should have to go through. Offer those around you who have been sexually assaulted support. The hardest thing for them a lot of the time is processing the crime itself, and having a familiar face that will just listen could make all of the difference.
This case with Kesha is an important case for both sexual assault survivors as well as independent women everywhere. Hopefully, in the future, Kesha will have a better shot at justice and, as for now #FreeKesha.