JK Rowling took another dig at British author Neil Gaiman on Wednesday after the rape accused released a statement denying the sexual harassment allegations by eight women.
“Grok, show me an example of DARVO,” wrote Rowling on X, sharing a screenshot of Gaiman’s statement on the rape charges.
What is DARVO?
DARVO, which stands for ‘Deny, Attack, and Reverse Victim and Offender,’ is a manipulative tactic that abusers may employ to avoid taking responsibility for their actions and to discredit their victims.
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This tactic involves denying any wrongdoing, attacking the credibility of the survivor, and reversing the roles of victim and offender.
When using DARVO, the abuser may claim that they have not done anything wrong and instead portray themselves as the victim of abuse. This role reversal can create confusion and make it challenging for others to determine the truth.
By employing this tactic, abusers aim to shift the blame onto the survivor and avoid facing the consequences of their actions. DARVO can be a powerful tool for manipulation, as it can cause survivors to doubt their own experiences and make it more difficult for them to seek support or justice.
Gaiman denies ever engaging in non-consensual sex
Releasing a statement denying he had ever engaged in non-consensual sex after a magazine this week published allegations from several women, the 64-year-old author of ‘The Sandman’ comic book series and novel ‘American Gods’ said he had watched stories about him circulate on the internet for months with ‘horror and dismay.’
“As I read through this latest collection of accounts, there are moments I half-recognise and moments I don’t, descriptions of things that happened sitting beside things that emphatically did not happen. I’m far from a perfect person, but I have never engaged in non-consensual sexual activity with anyone. Ever,” Gaiman posted on the social media platform Tumblr.
Gaiman, said he had read back message exchanges he had had with his accusers. They still read like ‘two people enjoying entirely consensual sexual relationships and wanting to see one another again,’ he said.
“And I also realise, looking through them, years later, that I could have and should have done so much better. I was emotionally unavailable while being sexually available, self-focused and not as thoughtful as I could or should have been. I was obviously careless with people’s hearts and feelings, and that’s something that I really, deeply regret,” Gaiman said.
Most of the allegations relate to occasions when Gaiman was in his 40s or older and living in the United States, Britain and New Zealand.
One of the accusers, Scarlett Pavlovich, told New York Magazine she met Gaiman through his then-wife, US performer Amanda Palmer, on a New Zealand island where the couple lived with their son in 2022. Pavlovich alleges Gaiman abused her several times starting the night they met.
Some of Pavlovich’s allegations were first made public six months earlier in the podcast. She told the magazine she filed a police report in January 2023 accusing Gaiman of sexual assault.
Several of Gaiman’s works have been turned into movies and television programs.