As the disturbing details of Valorant pro Jay ‘Sinatraa’ Won’s manipulative and abusive behavior towards his now ex-girlfriend, Cleo ‘cle0h’ Hernandez, have been made public, the internet is awash with people defending Won. The allegations against Won, which Hernandez released on social media, show a history of abusive behavior, and include documented text messages and audio recordings. When former Overwatch pro Daniel ‘Dafran’ Francesca chimed in defending Won, Imane ‘Pokimane’ Anys stepped in to call out Francesca.
Francesca’s defense of Won boils down to a baseless notion that women fabricate evidence to blackmail male Twitch streamers or make false claims in an effort to ‘cancel’ them. He then doubled down after receiving blowback for the first comment he made, saying “how is it fair that someone can scream rape at a public figure and everyone bandwagons without question?” Studies and statistical evidence indicate that false claims of sexual assault are extremely rare. Pokimane, during a Just Chatting portion of her Twitch stream, read Francesca’s tweets on air and discussed them with her chat, providing a female perspective on the mine field that women in the industry have to navigate.
After seeing what Francesca posted to Twitter about Hernandez’ allegations of abuse, Pokimane responded directly to Francesca, saying “I can promise you as a girl who’s been in this scene for years, this is just another reflection of the fact that [women] are rarely ever given the benefit of the doubt.” Pokimane has faced harassment and has been objectified by the male gaze herself, as females in the gaming and streaming business often run into sexist and off-base behavior from their male counterparts. From workplace harassment and being looked over for promotions, in the case of women in game development, to female streamers being asked if they have a significant other, there is a general lack of respect in some areas of the gaming world.
Despite being called out by Pokimane, Francesca reiterated his stance on a recent stream saying that “both sides” needed to be heard. Won has issued a response to the allegations that doesn’t do much to absolve him, but claims he will be cooperating with any resulting investigations. He has already been suspended from Valorant by Riot Games, as well as from the Sentinels esports organization he competes for. Hernandez has reached out to Valorant and Riot Games offering to provide evidence in their investigations, though at this time there is no information on further action being taken by Riot Games at this time.
The gaming industry has been plagued by issues of discrimination, abuse, and sexual assault in recent years, as men in positions of power use their standing to treat women terribly. In the age of streaming, these same power dynamics play out on Twitch and YouTube, where someone reaches a quasi-celebrity status and uses that power to manipulate, groom, and solicit their fanbase. Standing up to that, and having one’s voice heard, takes courage. Particularly when saying anything against an abuser will undoubtedly result in backlash.
Source: Twitch
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