The 'Aquaman' star receives support from the social-political activist and more than 100 others who sign an open letter calling for an end on online harassment of the actress.
- Nov 17, 2022
AceShowbiz - Amber Heard has received support from Gloria Steinem and others in the wake of the defamation trial against Johnny Depp. In an open letter published on Wednesday, November 16, the social-political activist and other feminists condemned online harassment of the actress since she lost the case against her ex-husband.
The letter began to read, "Five months ago, the verdict in the defamation trial between Johnny Depp and Amber Heard deeply concerned many professionals in the fields of intimate partner and sexual violence …The vilification of Ms. Heard and ongoing online harassment of her and those who have voiced support for her have been unprecedented in both vitriol and scale."
"Much of this harassment was fueled by disinformation, misogyny, biphobia, and a monetized social media environment where a woman's allegations of domestic violence and sexual assault were mocked for entertainment," it stated. "The same disinformation and victim-blaming tropes are now being used against others who have alleged abuse."
It went on stressing, "In our opinion, the Depp v. Heard verdict and continued discourse around it indicate a fundamental misunderstanding of intimate partner and sexual violence and how survivors respond to it. The damaging consequences of the spread of this misinformation are incalculable. We have grave concerns about the rising misuse of defamation suits to threaten and silence survivors."
"We condemn the public shaming of Amber Heard and join in support of her," the letter and its signees declared. "We support the ability of all to report intimate partner and sexual violence free of harassment and intimidation."
The letter was signed by 130 individuals and multiple feminist groups, including Academy Award-nominated filmmaker Amy Ziering, the National Organization for Women, the National Women's Law Center, Equality Now and the Women's March Foundation.
In June, the jury found Amber guilty of defaming Johnny with her op-ed for The Washington Post, in which she depicted herself as a victim of domestic violence. The jury awarded the actor $10 million in compensatory damages and $350,000 in punitive damage, while Amber was awarded $2 million in compensatory damages and zero in punitive damages from her ex-husband. Both of them are still seeking to overturn the ruling.
Since the verdict, Amber has been staying under the radar, while Johnny has continued performing as a rock star and landed several movie gigs.
