Suing for Silence: A Global Strategy to Suppress Discourse about Gendered Violence


Mandi Gray, Trent University

In the last decade, there has been growing global interest in responding to sexualized and gendered violence. In turn, there is also growing anti-feminist backlash targeting those who have been vocal about their experiences of sexual and gendered violence. One tactic is the use of defamation lawsuits or the threat of a defamation lawsuit to silence survivors of gendered violence and their allies (Gray, 2024). Most notably is the case initiated by actor Johnny Depp against his former partner Amber Heard, who was sued for writing an opinion piece that described herself as a victim of domestic violence. It is not just famous men who are using defamation law, but those are the cases that tend to receive the bulk of media attention (Gray, 2024). In 2021, the United Nations noted a global rise in defamation lawsuits, specifically against those who denounce perpetrators of sexual violence. There have been media reports of men suing for defamation following an allegation of sexual violence in countries such as Australia, Canada, France, India, Japan, United Kingdom, United States, Peru, and South Korea (Gray, 2024). This paper builds on an earlier qualitative study by the author on defamation lawsuits against survivors of sexual violence. In this paper, I systematically analyze global media coverage of defamation lawsuits due to allegations of gendered violence. The analysis demonstrates a noted increase of such lawsuits following the #MeToo Movement. The analysis also reveals bias in reporting that perpetuates the commonly held belief that false allegations of gendered violence are a common occurrence. It is argued that the lawsuits combined with the media coverage may hinder discourse about gendered violence on a global scale and may have a chilling effect on formal reporting, which will have a disproportionate effect on women and gender diverse peoples while protecting abusive men from consequences of their actions. 

This paper will be presented at the following session: