(LifeSiteNews) — It’s always the ones you most expect.
The couple who runs PinkNews, the “world’s largest LGBT news website” and activist outlet, has “been accused by staff of multiple incidents of sexual misconduct,” according to the BBC.
PinkNews is run by Benjamin Cohen and Anthony James, two men who purport to have been “married” since 2018. Cohen is the founder of PinkNews (mission statement: “to inform, inspire change and empower people to be themselves”), and James is a director at the U.K.-based LGBT outlet. The BBC reported extensive allegations against both men, including one incident of James “kissing and touching a junior colleague” who staff say was “too drunk to consent.”
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PinkNews has become a powerful player in the LGBT movement since its founding in 2005. The site is credited with playing a key role in redefining marriage; Tory Prime Minister David Cameron wrote an exclusive editorial for the site when legislation legalizing same-sex “marriage” was introduced. PinkNews’ annual awards ceremony has featured prime ministers and other politicians, as well. The current prime minister, Keir Starmer, attended in 2022.
Meanwhile, according to over 30 current and former PinkNews staff members, “a culture of heavy drinking led to instances when founder Benjamin Cohen” and partner Anthony “behaved inappropriately” toward male employees. From the BBC:
Away from the cameras and red carpets, however, multiple former staff members have told the BBC they had experienced bullying and sexual misconduct which made some of them feel unsafe to be alone around Mr Cohen and Dr James. Allegations of misogyny have also emerged and several people told us that some young female members of staff had been asked to act as the couple’s surrogates. As well as interviewing 33 people who worked at PinkNews between 2017 and 2024, we have also seen a variety of evidence including official written complaints, private emails and WhatsApp messages sharing staff members’ concerns, plus doctors’ records referring to stress and mental health struggles attributed to the work environment at PinkNews.
Five former PinkNews staffers stated that they had personally seen James “groping and kissing” a junior member of staff who was “too drunk to stand or talk” outside a pub in London. The source told the BBC that the executive led the drunk junior colleague behind a tree: “Anthony was just forcing himself on somebody who wasn’t able to make that decision for themselves because of how intoxicated they were.” Witnesses were appalled, but one said: “It’s the CEO’s husband, what are you going to do? Lose your job?”
The heavy drinking at PinkNews facilitated some of the behavior. Another staff member told the BBC that Cohen asked him to go back to his room because James, who was “always getting with other men,” was not present. The staff member made sure to avoid being alone with Cohen for the rest of his time at the company. Another staffer also said that Cohen “slapped him on the bottom” at a Christmas party, in public. Other staff called him a “creep” and told the BBC that they avoided being alone around him.
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The BBC also noted that both Cohen and Anthony engaged in “misogynistic behavior,” with “young, female members of staff” being “asked to act as a surrogate for Mr Cohen and Dr James.” The requests were portrayed as a joke, but one staffer told the BBC that it was “creepy and sleazy” and another said it was “part and parcel” of the misogyny at PinkNews.
Many staffers decided not to speak out because they believed in the LGBT activist mission of PinkNews and didn’t want to hurt its reputation.
J.K Rowling, a constant target of PinkNews, posted the BBC report on X with the dry comment: “Wasn’t it Franklin Roosevelt who asked to be judged on the enemies he’d made?”
