Perverted Lives of the Rich and Famous > Giorgia Meloni Ditches Vulgar Partner; Abercrombie & Fitch sued over alleged sex abuse of models, sex trafficking

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Italian PM Giorgia Meloni splits from partner after lewd TV comments

By Alvise Armellini and Angelo Amante  Reuters

Posted October 20, 2023 6:39 am

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni (L) has separated from her partner, 

TV journalist Andrea Giambruno (R). Getty Images

I guess when you look like that you need neither a brain, nor a moral compass, to be a TV presenter.

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said on Friday she had separated from her television journalist partner Andrea Giambruno, who has drawn criticism in recent weeks for sexist comments.

Meloni told reporters last month she should not be judged over Giambruno’s remarks and in future would not answer questions about his behaviour.

The split comes as the 46-year-old prime minister celebrates her first year in office at the head of a right-wing coalition government that has defended the traditional family as one of its policy hallmarks.

“My relationship with Andrea Giambruno, which lasted almost 10 years, ends here,” Meloni wrote on her social media accounts. “Our paths have diverged for some time, and the time has come to acknowledge it,” she added.

Meloni said she would not be distracted by difficulties in her private life, saying, “all those who hoped to weaken me by striking me at home,” would have no success.

The couple, who met in a TV studio in 2014, have a seven-year-old daughter.

Giambruno, 42, is the presenter of a news program transmitted by Mediaset, part of the MFE media group owned by the heirs of the late Silvio Berlusconi, a former prime minister and Meloni ally.

This week, another Mediaset satirical current affairs television show broadcast off-air video excerpts from Giambruno’s programme showing him using foul language, touching his groin and appearing to make advances to a female colleague.

“Why didn’t I meet you before?” he asks her.

In a second audio recording aired on Thursday, Giambruno is heard talking about being in an affair and telling female colleagues they can work with him if they take part in group sex.

The TV journalist had been widely criticized in August for comments interpreted by many as victim-blaming, following a gang rape case.

Giambruno was not immediately available for comment.

Marco Furfaro of the opposition Democratic Party said Giambruno’s comments were “pure chauvinism and sexism…. uncommentable filth.”

Abercrombie & Fitch sued over ex-CEO’s alleged sex abuse of models, 

sex trafficking

By Ariel Zilber, NYPost

Published Oct. 27, 2023, 4:31 p.m. ET

A former Abercrombie & Fitch model who alleged that he was forced to perform oral sex in order to land a modeling gig with the fashion brand is suing the mall-based teen retailer.

David Bradberry filed suit in Manhattan federal court on Friday against Abercrombie, accusing it of enabling former CEO Mike Jeffries to run a sex trafficking operation that is said to have exploited and abused dozens of young men.

News of the lawsuit, which is seeking unspecified damages, was first reported by The Wall Street Journal.

Jeffries, who built Abercrombie into a global brand during his tenure as CEO from 1992 until 2014, is alleged to have promised young men a job at the firm in order to lure them to secret locations around the world and then force them to have sex with him and others, it was alleged in the lawsuit.

The legal action comes in the wake of a damning BBC documentary in which several young men, including Bradberry, came forward with allegations against Jeffries and the company.

“Abercrombie profited enormously from the oversexualized exploitation of young men,” Brad Edwards, Bradberry’s attorney who also represented alleged victims of convicted pedophile Jeffrey Epstein, told The Journal.

Unfortunately, Edwards doesn't explain how A&F actually profitted from the oversexualized exploitation of young men. I presume it is by having half naked men in the storefronts.

David Bradberry filed suit in Manhattan federal court on Friday against Abercrombie.

BBC

Edwards said that Abercrombie displayed a “willingness to enable a sexually abusive and exploitative environment to drive profits.”

Abercrombie has declined to comment on the lawsuit, which names Jeffries, his family office, and his former partner Matthew Smith as co-defendants.

“Mr. Jeffries will not comment in the press on this new lawsuit as he has likewise chosen not to regarding lawsuits in the past,” Brian Bieber, Jeffries’ lawyer, told The Journal.

“The courtroom is where we will deal with this matter.”

Abercrombie is accused of enabling former CEO Mike Jeffries to run an alleged sex trafficking operation that is said to have exploited and abused dozens of young men.

AP

Over the course of its two-year probe, the BBC spoke to eight men who alleged that they were exploited or abused after being lured to events at Jeffries’ upscale New York residence or luxury hotels in the world’s fashion capitals.

The BBC described the exploitative regime as a “well-oiled machine” where “recruiters” were allegedly tasked with bringing young men to Jeffries’ events in London, Paris, Venice and Marrakesh and would receive as much as $1,000 per referral.

A personal “groomer” then allegedly shaved the body hair off some of the men before they attended the events, according to the BBC.

Barrett Paul, a former Abercrombie model, spoke to the BBC and alleged he was victimized by Jeffries and his partner.

BBC

Men were then required to sign non-disclosure agreements that said they would be sued if they spoke out. They were not allowed to keep a copy of the legal document.

The young men alleged they were recruited to the sex events by a middleman who reported to Jeffries and his British lover, Smith, with half claiming they were misled about the nature of these events.

Other alleged victims knew the events were sexual but were unsure what was expected of them, though all were paid to attend and hopeful that by doing so, they would land a modeling opportunity with Abercrombie & Fitch, according to BBC.

Jeffries was CEO of Abercrombie from 1992 until 2014.

The Columbus Dispatch-USA TODAY NETWORK

This middleman — whom the BBC identified as Jim Jacobson — was described by modeling agents as the gatekeeper to “the owners” of A&F during the teen retailer’s heyday in the late ’90s and early 2000s.

“Jim made it clear to me that unless I let him perform oral sex on me, that I would not be meeting with A&F or Mike Jeffries,” Bradberry told BBC.

Good grief! Was everybody at Abercrombie and Fitch gay?

Matthew Smith is also alleged to have abused young men.

AFP via Getty Images

“I was paralyzed. It was like he was selling fame. And the price was compliance,” he said, noting that Jacobson led him to believe “this is where everybody gets their start.”

Bradberry was given $500 for his time that day, according to BBC.

On another occasion, Bradberry said he had sex with Jeffries inside his mansion after the then-CEO took drug inhalants.

Bradberry alleged he “didn’t feel safe to say ‘no’ or ‘I don’t feel comfortable with this’” because of the home’s “secluded” location and presence of Jeffries’ staff — who all dressed in a uniform of head-to-toe A&F and would hand alleged victims envelopes with thousands of dollars of cash before they left, per the BBC.

The Post has sought comment from Smith.

Jeffries built Abercrombie into a global brand before resigning amid scandal.

Getty Images

A spokesperson for A&F told The Post: “We are appalled and disgusted by the behavior described in the allegations against Mr. Jeffries, whose employment with Abercrombie & Fitch Co. ended in 2014, nearly ten years ago.

Speaking up and coming forward is not easy, and our thoughts are with those who bravely raised their voices.”

The spokesperson said the company has also “engaged an outside law firm to conduct an independent investigation into the issues raised.

The company’s current executive leadership team and board of directors were not aware of the allegations of sexual misconduct by Mr. Jeffries.”

“We have zero tolerance for abuse, harassment or discrimination of any kind.”

Abercrombie and Fitch boys

Voice Shaking, Michelle Obama Calls Trump Comments on Women ‘Intolerable’

Is the wrong woman running for president?

Michelle Obama is the best political speaker in America today

Michelle Obama Denounces Trump’s Words on Women

By REUTERS 1:45 Video The first lady, Michelle Obama, on Thursday spoke out against Donald J. Trump’s comments about women. “This is not something that we can ignore,” she said, while campaigning in New Hampshire for Hillary Clinton.

By JULIE HIRSCHFELD DAVIS, NYTimes

MANCHESTER, N.H. — Michelle Obama issued a deeply personal denunciation of Donald J. Trump on Thursday for his lewd comments about women, exhorting voters in scathing terms to reject his candidacy and the campaign’s increasingly vulgar tenor by backing Hillary Clinton as a matter of conscience.

“This is not normal. This is not politics as usual,” Mrs. Obama said in a 25-minute speech here during which her voice at times quavered with emotion. “This is disgraceful, it is intolerable, and it doesn’t matter what party you belong to,” she added. “No woman deserves to be treated this way — none of us deserves this kind of abuse.”

In remarks that were among the most outspoken by a first lady in modern history, Mrs. Obama, who has mostly avoided the political limelight, positioned herself at the center of a campaign she characterized as having devolved into “madness.” (Theatre of the absurd?). She implored voters to “stand up and say enough is enough.”

“I can’t believe that I’m saying that a candidate for president of the United States has bragged about sexually assaulting women,” the first lady told several hundred voters at a university here.

“I can’t stop thinking about this — it has shaken me to my core,” Mrs. Obama said, reacting to the emergence last week of a recording in which Mr. Trump was heard coarsely boasting about kissing and groping women without their consent.

What followed from the first lady, who has styled herself America’s “mom in chief,” was a message about empowering women to rise up against sexual abuse and harassment in every context. The speech was all the more striking because it was delivered on behalf of Mrs. Clinton, whose experience with her husband’s infidelity all but disqualifies her from speaking in similarly vivid terms.

Aides said Mrs. Obama had always planned to reshape her stump speech as Election Day neared to focus more on women and the significance of electing the first female president. But when Mr. Trump’s remarks surfaced on Friday, she ripped up that speech, ultimately settling on one that was all the more biting for its intimate tone.

“I feel it so personally,” Mrs. Obama said on Thursday, placing her hand against her heart for emphasis as she spoke about Mr. Trump’s treatment of women. “It’s like that sick, sinking feeling you get when you’re walking down the street minding your own business and some guy yells out vulgar words about your body, or when you see that guy at work that stands just a little too close, stares a little too long so you feel uncomfortable in your own skin.”


Women listening to Michelle Obama speak during a campaign rally for Hillary Clinton on Thursday in Manchester, N.H. “This is disgraceful, it is intolerable, and it doesn’t matter what party you belong to,” Mrs. Obama said of Donald J. Trump’s lewd comments about women. JIM COLE / ASSOCIATED PRESS

“I can tell you that the men in my life do not talk about women this way,” Mrs. Obama added. “To dismiss this as everyday locker room talk is an insult to decent men everywhere.”

The speech was a riveting moment in an already remarkable campaign, coming just before Mr. Trump appeared in West Palm Beach, Fla., to angrily denounce as “false smears” news reports in which several women said he had made unwanted advances on them.

The New Hampshire rally was Mrs. Obama’s sixth campaign appearance for Mrs. Clinton in a month, and the first lady broke from her usual approach and did not speak about Mrs. Clinton’s qualifications for the presidency until halfway through her speech. She said the former secretary of state “embodies so many of the values that we try hard to teach our young people,” and ticked off highlights from Mrs. Clinton’s résumé, saying that any parent would be proud to raise a daughter like her.

But she also sought to appeal to those unenthusiastic about Mrs. Clinton or politics itself, issuing a call to voters across the political spectrum who have been alienated by a contest dominated by outrageous statements and partisan rage.

“We simply cannot endure this, or expose our children to this any longer — not for another minute, and let alone for four years,” Mrs. Obama said. “This has got to stop right now.”

She argued that even voters repulsed by the tone of the campaign — “we are drowning in it,” she said at one point — must consider the norms of behavior they wanted to instill in their children.

“In our hearts, we all know that if we let Hillary’s opponent win this election, then we are sending a clear message to our kids that everything they’re seeing and hearing is perfectly O.K. We are validating it. We are endorsing it,” Mrs. Obama said. “We’re telling our sons that it’s O.K. to humiliate women. We’re telling our daughters that this is how they deserve to be treated. We’re telling all our kids that bigotry and bullying are perfectly acceptable in the leader of their country.”

I have been saying for months now that Trump talks, acts, and thinks like an adolescent. I would prefer someone with at least a semblance of maturity running the biggest military in the world.

Instead, she framed the decision to vote for Mrs. Clinton as akin to a woman’s choice to speak out in the face of sexual mistreatment or violence.

“We need to recover from our shock and depression and do what women have always done in this country,” Mrs. Obama said. “We need you to roll up your sleeves. We need to get to work.”

Philippines Candidate Duterte Condemned Over Rape Comments **Updated**

Has the world become such a crude and vulgar place that vile creatures like Duterte can rise to the highest office in their country? Unfortunately, it seems the answer is yes.

Update: While I have an intense dislike for vulgarity, I do admire someone who is wildly successful in reducing crime. As Mayor of Davao, Duterte's vigilante support has taken Davao from being the murder capitol of the Philippines the what one organization calls, the 4th safest place in the world. If he can dramatically reduce crime across the whole country, especially child sex exploitation, child sex tourism, and child pornography production, he will be my hero regardless of how uncouth he is.

From BBC Asia, 

Philippines presidential candidate Rodrigo Duterte (12 April 2016) Reuters

Mr Duterte has a reputation for making inflammatory comments

A video of leading Philippines presidential candidate Rodrigo Duterte joking about a murdered Australian rape victim has provoked a storm of protest.

The footage shows Mr Duterte and his supporters making light of the assault by prison inmates in 1989 when he was town mayor.

He said the female missionary was so beautiful that "the mayor should have been first".

I believe that the woman playing the flute in the photo below is Robin Haines Merrill. The blonde to her left is probably her sister Jacqueline Hamill, who was one of 5 missionaries raped and murdered by the very prisoners they were attempting to help

ON BEHALF OF MY SISTER IN CHRIST, MISSIONARY JACQUELINE HAMILL, I PUBLICALLY DENOUNCE THE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDACY OF DUERTE, IN THE PHILIPPINES. Jacqueline was raped and had her throat slit while ministering in the jails in southern Philippines in a 1989 hostage taking. Duerte was recorded this week saying in his political rally that while he ordered the killing of the hostage takers while he was mayor, he wished he could have raped her first, since she was so beautiful. Looking back on this photo, I realize ministering in jails as a woman is very risky and looks outright naive, like the "you got what was coming to you" mentality that is prevalent today. But all ministry and everyday LIFE is a big risk, and we must be obedient to the voice of the spirit of God, even if it leads us to death. Jacqueline's death affected me deeply personally, as I had been visiting just about every jail in Manila with the ACTION/CGM teams from 1986-89. I couldn't yet speak the language but I could play the flute and just show love to people in horrible situations. LOVE TRUMPS HATE. DON'T STOP LOVING. DON'T VOTE FOR PEOPLE who speak vile things against WOMEN!! We are ALL made in the Image of God!!


Critics say this shows Mr Duterte is "unfit" for the office of president.

Mr Duterte's supporters however have dismissed the comments as a joke.

The candidate is known for his irreverent speeches and boasts of sexual conquests.

One recent poll had him leading over other contenders ahead of the 9 May election.


'Disgusting endorsement'

The rape comments in a YouTube video are the latest in a string of inflammatory statements - including the proposed mass executions of suspected criminals - made by Mr Duterte.


Supporters of Rodrigo Duterte at an election rally east of Manila (12 April 2016) EPA

Mr Duterte has been mobbed by supporters throughout much of the election campaign which culminates next month


Rodrigo Duterte (top right), Philippines presidential candidate and a local mayor, raises his fist during a motorcade campaign at Cainta Rizal, east of Manila (12 April 2016).  Mr Duterte has a popular following ahead of the 9 May poll Reuters

In the video he refers to the missionary who was murdered while ministering in a prison in the city of Davao in the southern Philippines and goes on to make his remark to laughter at a campaign rally.

President Benigno Aquino's spokesman Herminio Coloma said the comments reflected Mr Duterte's "lack of fitness for the presidency" and his "utter lack of respect for women".

A rival presidential candidate, Vice-President Jejomar Binay, called the comments revolting.

"You are a crazy maniac who doesn't respect women and doesn't deserve to be president," Mr Binay told Mr Duterte in a statement.

Human Rights Watch (HRW) Deputy Asia Director Phil Robertson said the comments "were a disgusting endorsement of sexual violence" for which Mr Duterte should be utterly condemned.

In 2015, HRW described Mr Duterte as the death squad mayor for his tactics in dealing with violent crime in Davao, with more than 1,000 people being killed.

Pornography Should be Part of Sex Education, Says Sex Therapist

By the time they've reached Grade 6, the majority of children in B.C. will have seen some form of pornography

CBC News 

Sex therapist Jason Winters says sex education needs to address the pornography
children are watching to help prevent sexual problems later in life.
(drjasonwinters.com)

But according to sex therapist Jason Winters, it's not the pornography that's doing the damage — it's the lack of conversation about what they're seeing that's setting kids back.

"If you have kids who have had no real education about what a relationship looks like … once they start watching pornography ... they're going to make assumptions about what sex is going to look like later," said Winters.

"If pornography becomes your blueprint, because you know nothing else, then ... when you do encounter a real partner, there's going to be frustration and disappointment."

'Access to porn is easy'

Winters teaches a course on human sexuality at the University of British Columbia and treats patients privately for a range of sex-related issues, including pornography addiction.

He says he acknowledges many parents don't want pornography discussed as part of sex education, but calls that a head-in-the-sand approach.

"Parents think if it doesn't get talked about at school, their kids won't be interested in it, or won't find it," he said.

"Access to porn is easy, it's absolutely everywhere ... All young men watch porn and now many young women do as well."

But as Winters points out, porn distills sex down to the absolute and most intense part of the fantasy — there's rarely even a conversation before sex happens.

So if kids watch porn without context, they have no idea that this isn't a relationship, he says.

'What is intimacy? What is love?'

Winters says sex education needs to discuss more than just the anatomy and risks of sex — and put pornography in context, by discussing exactly what it is missing.

"What is intimacy? What is love? What are the emotions that you feel? ... What are the impacts of relationships on you? How can you stand up for what you want and what you don't want?"

"These key components of intimacy are all missing from the sex ed curriculum, much like they're also missing from pornography."

Winters advises starting sex education early, to establish a way of talking about sex that doesn't involve embarrassment and shame.

It may be awkward for parents or teachers now, but it may pay off in the long run. Winter says a lot of clients' sexual problems were made much worse by the messages they received growing up.

"It's made it impossible to seek help, or talk about these things — until it gets to the point where it's a crisis," he said.

"Those who oppose this discussion are doing a huge disservice to their kids ... The stage gets set at a young age."

What do you think about that? I'm inclined to agree with him as I see pornography as a major contributor to the culture of rape in universities. Putting porn into context might very well begin to address that problem.

I have difficulty with discussing sex in schools at an early age, although I do believe his reasoning for doing so is valid. My concern is in who is going to teach it, and how is it going to be taught. There is no room in schools for modesty anymore, and I wonder if sex education is part of that?

Meanwhile, on the first day of school, yesterday...

A protest against the province's sex-ed curriculum was held outside Thorncliffe Park Public school in East York (Toronto) Tuesday.

Ryan Bird, a spokesman for the Toronto District School Board, estimated that nearly 700 students, about half the school population, did not come to school as a result of the rally.

Sex-ed protesters denounce Wynne at Thorncliffe Park

Sex-ed protest leaves 1 Toronto school almost empty

On Saturday, Premier Kathleen Wynne's visit to a back-to-school fair in Thorncliffe Park was met with some vocal opposition over the sex-education curriculum.

Thorncliffe Park has a large immigrant population. Immigrants with conservative or strong faith-based backgrounds have been among the most vocal critics of the province's new plan.

Complaints from parents have ranged from a lack of consultation with them, to lessons not being age-appropriate, to not wanting their kids to be taught about same-sex relationships and different gender identities.

Premier Kathleen Wynne said in addition to thousands of school council chairs, 70 health organizations and parent groups were consulted in crafting the new curriculum, which had not been updated since 1998.

"This is the most widely consulted upon curriculum in the history of the province," she said Tuesday.

"When we write curriculum … on geography or social studies or mathematics, that kind of consultation does not happen because that's not how curriculum has been historically written in the province.

C'mon Kat, that's academic curriculum. Social curriculum is completely different. One has to wonder if this is not an attempt at social engineering by the lesbian premier and her supporters?

"We felt there was a need to have a broader consultation with parents on this curriculum."

Sandals warns of 'misinformation'

Progressive Conservative MPP Monte McNaughton, who has been a staunch opponent of the curriculum, is urging Wynne to shelve the document and start over by consulting parents.

The party's new leader, Patrick Brown, notably did not broach the issue in his statement marking the first day of school.

He said last week he wants to "make sure parents have a say on how much and when."

Education Minister Liz Sandals urged parents who are opposed to the curriculum to first talk to teachers and principals because there is "a lot of misinformation" being circulated, but each school board does have a policy on withdrawing students from particular classes.

So, it is not universally possible for students to withdraw from the sex-ed classes.

However, she said, the majority of the feedback she has received has been positive.


"I have never in my life been just stopped on the street by strangers so often [who] said, 'Thank you for doing this. Hang in there. We want this program."'

Ontario sex-ed dispute: Why 1 mother will keep her kids home

A Mississauga, Ontario, mother says she would prefer to home school her two daughters rather than subject them to an Ontario sex-education curriculum she says teaches kids "too much too soon."

Farina Siddiqui, a mother of three, appeared on CBC's Metro Morning on Wednesday, one day after nearly 700 students stayed out of Thorncliffe Park public school to protest the new sex-ed curriculum.

On Wednesday, the words "shame on you" were sprayed on the walls of Thorncliffe Park public school and the neighbouring Fraser Mustard Early Learning Academy.

Siddiqui told CBC host Matt Galloway she intends to home school her two daughters, who are in Grades 6 and Grade 8, because the new curriculum doesn't mesh well with her personal beliefs as a Muslim.

"I've been thinking about it. I had a discussion with my daughters and we all decided together that it's the best solution for them," she said.

Galloway pressed Siddiqui about what she's opposed to, specifically, in the revamped curriculum.

"If I summarize it in one line, it's too much, too soon and I don't agree with that," she said.

Siddiqui said the "information sharing" in the new curriculum, in which kids learn the correct names of their body parts starting in Grade 1, begins too early.

"They don't need to learn this at this young age," she said. "They don't need to know the layers of all the body parts."

She said the "opt out option is a joke" and that officials in the Peel District School Board have told her they can't accommodate students who choose to not take part in lessons about sexuality.

Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne has said "it's very unfortunate" if parents decide to take their kids out of school over opposition to the new curriculum, but said ultimately it's their decision.

Teaching of the new curriculum begins this year. It's the first time the sex-education curriculum has been updated since 1998, and includes:

Students in Grade 1 will be taught the correct names of body parts.
By Grade 2, they will learn about the broad concept of consent.
By Grades 4 and 5, students will learn about puberty, while education about intercourse will take place the following year.
Masturbation and "gender expression" will be taught in Grade 6.
Students in Grades 7 and 8 will discuss contraception, anal and oral sex, preventing pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections.
Students will also learn about the dangers of sharing sexually explicit images through texting and social media, something that wasn't prevalent when the curriculum was last updated. 

The 'broad concept of consent' - what does that mean? Is it going to teach them about 'safe-touch' and 'unsafe-touch'? Is it going to teach them about 'good secrets' and 'bad secrets'? Is it going to teach them how to tell someone, and who to tell, about someone inappropriately touching them? Pedophilia is a much bigger problem than a lack of knowledge of body parts, gender fluidity, or even safe-sex, yet it does not appear to be addressed here at all. 

Is this really about the kids, or is it social engineering?