Imagine you are a woman who has been abused emotionally, mentally and physically by a man who has power to control your career, your financial success and your art.
This is the power Lukasz Gottwald, known publicly as Dr. Luke, holds over Kesha Rose Sebert, formerly known as Ke$ha.
For more than a year, Kesha has been fighting to get out of her contract with Dr. Luke, whose company is a subsidiary of Sony, so she may record another album without Dr. Luke, who is currently contractually obligated to work on six songs from any album Kesha records. She has halted her musical career because it pains her to work with the man she says has sexually and emotionally abused her.
Gottwald denied all allegations. Kesha continued to stand up to her alleged abuser and bravely took the issue to court. She sought for Sony to allow her to simply record without Dr. Luke. Sony gave her a pat on the hand, stating that she can record without Dr. Luke’s direct involvement – they don’t have to be in a room together. But the contract still holds.
Not only does this speak to the atmosphere surrounding sexual abuse on a judicial level, but also a corporate level. By refusing to let Kesha record outside of Dr. Luke’s company, Sony is dehumanizing Kesha, treating her as a source of money. By not believing Kesha, Justice Kornreich is only continuing the trend of discounting survivors of sexual abuse.
Dr. Luke’s alleged—it pains me to use that word after seeing the tears running down Kesha’s face when the judge announced his decision in court last Friday—emotional and mental abuse caused Kesha intense distress leading to a mental breakdown and an eating disorder. Yet she still is tied to him, though she is not bound by false hope, threats from her alleged abuser or guilt. She is like many women who decide to break their chains and meet a slew of other difficulties in the fight.
Once again, a woman who stands up—who subjects herself to questioning, public scrutiny and blame—is not taken seriously or given the protection she deserves. If anyone is wondering whether or not they should at least give worth to Kesha’s argument, please regard this tweet Dr. Luke sent to the pop star in 2010: “@Keshasuxx … I’m worried what THEY gonna do!!!!… from me you just your usual spanking for being bad :-P”
Kesha did not have a rape kit, but she is still standing by her allegations. Like many cases of sexual and emotional abuse, it is her word against the alleged abuser. And, unfortunately, Sony and the judicial system took the side of power and patriarchal authority, in spite of the fact that only 2 to 8 percent of rapes reported are false, according to a Symposium on False Allegations of Rape from Violence Against Women.
Kesha’s time to continue being successful as a young pop star is dwindling. She just wants to record an album, which she hasn’t done in three years, without Dr. Luke’s involvement.
Kesha is a white woman with popularity and wealth, yet her situation is still one that women of any race or financial standing are all too familiar with.
Zoe McDonald is a junior journalism major from Brandon, Mississippi
