D4 N THE NEW YORK TIMES, THURSDAY, JUNE 25, 2020More than 70 people in the gaming industry,
most of them women, have come forward
with allegations of gender-based discrimi-
nation, harassment and sexual assault
since last Friday. They have shared their
stories in statements posted to Twitter,
YouTube, Twitch and the blogging platform
TwitLonger.
The outpouring of stories from competi-
tive gamers and streamers, who broadcast
their gameplay on platforms like Twitch for
money, led to the resignation of the chief ex-
ecutive of a prominent talent management
company for streamers and a moment of re-
flection for an industry that has often con-
tended with sexism, bullying and allega-
tions of abuse.
Already, the response has been a far cry
from Gamergate in 2014, when women
faced threats of death and sexual assault for
critiquing the industry’s male-dominated,
sexist culture. Now, some are optimistic
that real change could come.
Gamers began sharing their stories after
a Twitter user who posts as Hollowtide
tweeted about an unnamed “top” player of
the online game Destiny on Friday night, re-
ferring to the person as a “scum lord.” Three
female streamers, JewelsVerne, SheSnaps
and SchviftyFive, saw the post and decided
to come forward about their experiences
with the gamer in question, who is known
online both as Lono and SayNoToRage.
The women posted their allegations, in-
cluding nonconsensual touching, proposi-
tioning for sex and harassment, on Twitter
using their streamer handles. (The stream-
ers did not provide their legal names to The
New York Times. Previously, women in
gaming who have spoken out against the in-
dustry using their legal names have been
subjected to further harassment, hacking
and doxxing.)
In interviews with The New York Times,
when asked to describe their experiences
with Lono, the streamers asked a reporter
to refer to their public statements on Twit-
ter, TwitLonger and Twitch.
Lono responded to their Twitter accusa-
tions in a YouTube video posted on Satur-
day. “There is no excuse for my behavior,”
he said in the video. “There is no way to
gloss over it. The things I did were unac-
ceptable. Being inappropriate with these
people robbed them of their sense of safety
and security and it broke trust, and I am
deeply sorry.” (He declined to speak to a re-
porter from The Times on Monday and
would not share his last name.)
After those accusations, other streamers
began to open up about their experiences
with high-profile men in the industry, in-
cluding fellow streamers, YouTubers, game
developers and talent managers.
Jessica Richey, 28, a streamer and con-
tent creator in New York City, began compil-
ing the allegations into a Twitter thread.
Ms. Richey said in an interview on Sun-
day that she received more than 50 direct
messages from people asking that their
stories be added to her thread. On Monday
morning, she compiled all of the allegations
in a Medium post, which was shared widely
within the streaming community.
“I’m not casting judgment or asking any-
one to witch hunt those who are named,”
Ms. Richey said. “I’m trying to give sur-
vivors of these issues a voice so they don’t
feel alone or gaslit based on their experi-
ences in this industry.”
Molly Fender Ayala, a Twitch streamer
and community development lead for the
video game Overwatch, posted a message
on Twitter on Sunday morning in which she
accused Omeed Dariani, the chief executive
of Online Performers Group, a talent man-
agement agency that works with many
streamers, of acting inappropriately toward
her and propositioning her for a threesome
in 2014. (Ms. Ayala denied a request for
comment. Mr. Dariani did not respond to
multiple requests for comment.)
“I feel that it’s my responsibility to speak
up,” Ms. Ayala wrote, so that other women
in the streaming and gaming world “know
that this isn’t ‘just how the industry is.’ ”
Mr. Dariani responded to Ms. Ayala’s alle-
gations in a Twitter thread on Sunday. “I do
not specifically recall the conversation ref-
erenced, but I’m not going to sit here and
argue about whether or not it happened,” he
wrote. “Because I promised I would believe
women. Even, and probably most espe-
cially when I’m the person being called out.
And I do believe her. So as far as I am con-
cerned, this happened.”
That night, he stepped down as chief ex-
ecutive.
“OPG is a special company,” he wrote on
Twitter. “It has created opportunity where
none existed before. The talented women
and men who work there pour their hearts
into it daily. Give them a chance. Please
don’t destroy it because you’re angry at
me.”
Some of the accusations saw a swift re-
sponse. At least one company, Astro Gam-
ing, said it would stop sponsoring Lono and
two other streamers who had faced accusa-
tions. High-profile streamers and clients
quickly cut ties with the Online Performers
Group. Facebook Gaming temporarily sus-
pended one streamer after public allega-
tions of domestic abuse.
Brooke Thorne, 32, a streamer and gamer
in Britain who is managed by Online Per-formers Group, announced that she would
be stepping away at the end of her contract.
She said that in light of Ms. Ayala’s allega-
tions and the way Mr. Dariani responded,
she no longer wanted to be associated with
the company.
She noted that sexism and misconduct in
the industry ran deeper than one person or
one company. “When it’s one call-out, it’s a
problem with a person,” Ms. Thorne said.
“When there’s a ton of call-outs, it’s a prob-
lem with the industry.”
As more allegations surfaced over the
weekend, gaming companies and corporate
partners struggled to respond. “It’s not just
other members of the streaming communi-
ty taking notice,” said Chase, the head of
communications at Stream Elements, a
livestreaming tools provider, who goes by
only his first name. “Brands and companies
that work with streamers are seeing who
these individuals are and might not want to
associate with them on future endeavors.”
This isn’t the first time gaming has been
said to be having its #MeToo moment. Last
summer, several game developers went
public with accusations of sexual assault,
harassment and abuse, and they were met
with a swift backlash from the gaming com-
munity. The reaction has been different this
time.
Streamers, fans and companies have
shown support for the women speaking out.
Kenzie Gordon, a Ph.D. candidate at the
University of Alberta who studies gaming
in relation to prevention of sexual and do-
mestic violence, said that “if studios get to
the point where people are actually being
fired for these accusations and stepping
down and there’s some actual structural
change happening,” that would be evidence
of a “watershed” moment.
Twitch released a Twitter statement on
Sunday saying that the company took “ac-
cusations of sexual harassment and mis-
conduct extremely seriously” and was
“looking into the accounts concerning
streamers affiliated with Twitch and will
work with law enforcement where applica-
ble.” A Twitch spokeswoman declined to
comment further.
On Monday, streamers began calling for a
“Twitch blackout,” in which users would re-frain from using the platform on Wednes-
day to pressure the company to address
racism and sexual misconduct.
That night, the chief executive of Twitch,
Emmett Shear, shared an internal company
email on Twitter that stated that Twitch was
“looking into all the incidents and will be co-
operating with law enforcement.”
“We support people coming forward,
commend their bravery in doing so, and
know there are many others who have not,”
he continued. “The gaming industry is not
unlike others that have had to reckon with
systemic sexism, racism, and abuse that re-
wards certain people and disadvantages —
even harms — others. The status quo needs
to change.”
Gaming scholars said the community
might be more receptive to addressing alle-
gations of sexual misconduct this time
around after embracing social activism dur-
ing the recent Black Lives Matter protests.
“It did seem like there is a wellspring of
support that might have been there in the
past, but because of the times we’re in, it
seemed to me even more profound and sup-
portive,” said Jennifer Jenson, who studies
video games and gender at the University
of British Columbia.
It’s also possible that “we’ve just hit a
critical mass of these allegations coming
out over and over,” Ms. Gordon said.
The gaming industry is particularly con-
ducive to a culture of misogyny and sexual
harassment, Ms. Gordon said, because
straight white men have “created the iden-
tity of the gamer as this exclusive property.”
When women, people of color or L.G.B.T.Q.
people try to break into the industry, she
said, the “toxic geek masculinity” pushes
back in ways that often lead to sexual abuse
and bullying.
Gaming studios are often reluctant to
defy those fans, Ms. Gordon said, but re-
cently it has become clear that there is a de-
mand for a variety of video games that ap-
peal to all types of people, which requires
more diversity among game designers and
could necessitate changes in the industry.
“I think there really needs to be this top-
down reorganization,” she said. “Setting up
a diversity committee is not going to solve
this problem.”Female Gamers
Tell of Sexism
And Harassment
Allegations on Twitter prompt
companies and streamers to
respond with action.
By TAYLOR LORENZ
and KELLEN BROWNINGROBERT REINERS/GETTY IMAGESGamers at TwitchCon, a major streamer conference, in 2018. Fellow streamers, fans and companies have shown support for the women speaking out.‘I feel that
it’s my
responsibility
to speak up.’
Glassman, 63, has verbally demeaned
women, pulled at their clothes to try to peek
at their cleavage and aimed his phone’s
camera to snap photos of their breasts while
they traveled with him for work (some-
times pressuring them to consider sharing
hotel rooms or borrowed houses with him).
Through a company spokesman and
spokeswoman, Mr. Glassman denied such
conduct. The spokeswoman said Mr. Glass-
man had treated her only respectfully. She
suggested that people speaking out against
Mr. Glassman are doing so to lessen the
worth of his company and then buy it from
him. “There is a collective effort to devalue
the company and buy it for scraps,” she
said.
After this article was published online,
the company’s chief executive, Dave Cas-
tro, sent a message to affiliate gym owners
that Mr. Glassman intends to sell the fitness
brand to Eric Roza, the former senior vice
president and general manager of Oracle
Data Cloud and an owner of a CrossFit gym
in Boulder, Colo.
The former employees say reporting the
harassment was not an option. Mr. Glass-
man has been the sole owner of CrossFit.
Perhaps the most powerful female execu-
tive there, Kathy Glassman, the affiliate di-
rector, is Mr. Glassman’s sister, and they
were reluctant to complain to her. There
was no human resources manager until
- That manager left the company in Jan-
uary and has not been replaced.
A Devoted Community
Now with headquarters in Scotts Valley,
Calif., CrossFit was created in 2000. It is pri-
vately held and currently employs 72 peo-
ple full time, down from 137 two years ago.
The coronavirus pandemic and a shift in the
company’s focus from competitive games to
health initiatives have resulted in layoffs.
Most departing workers receive severance
only if they signed nondisclosure agree-
ments.
Mr. Castro, a longtime deputy of Mr.
Glassman’s, declined to speak for this arti-
cle.
The spokespeople noted that the CrossFit
Games, a professional competition intro-
duced by the company in 2007, rewards men
and women with equal prize money, and
that the method encourages women to cele-
brate strength and fitness regardless of
body type or weight.
Even those critical of CrossFit’s culture
praised its rigorous exercise method, which
is taught in thousands of mom-and-pop
gyms around the country that have licensed
the CrossFit trademark. For some of its dev-
otees, CrossFit is a near religion.
“There is so much positive in the CrossFit
community,” said one former employee
who, like many others interviewed for this
article, was granted anonymity because she
fears legal retribution from Mr. Glassman.
“Do you want to be the person who ruinspeople’s hopes and dreams and even their
businesses? CrossFit is not just about fit-
ness. It becomes your friends, your family,
your community. People create their entire
lives around it.”
Away from the local gyms where he is
venerated, though, the picture of Mr. Glass-
man clouds quickly. “There was a constant
narrative about women,” the former corpo-
rate employee said. She described his using
vulgarities frequently to refer to women,
enumerating which he wanted to have sex
with and which he didn’t.
This attitude was so entwined with opera-
tions that the Wi-Fi password at a company
office in San Diego used to be a sexist ob-
scenity, according to three former employ-
ees.
Male employees would rank female pro-
fessional CrossFit athletes according to
how much the men wanted to have sex with
them, according to an email from a currentCrossFit employee to a former one that was
reviewed by The New York Times. (Mr.
Glassman denies the accusation, his
spokeswoman said.)
Another former employee, who re-
quested anonymity because he didn’t have
permission from his current employer to
speak to the media, defended Mr. Glass-
man. “I’m not into painting someone into an
evil person just because he might have been
misogynistic,” he said.
In 2012, Mr. Glassman agreed to pay a fi-
nancial settlement to Julie Kelly, a former
employee whose lawyers threatened to file
a sexual harassment lawsuit, according to
three people in the CrossFit community
with direct knowledge of the situation.
Among other incidents, they related, during
a company get-together at a bar, Mr. Glass-
man stood next to Ms. Kelly and made a vul-
gar and obscene comment about her to an-
other man. (Mr. Glassman denies this, the
spokeswoman said, and would not com-
ment on the settlement.)
Also that year, Mr. Glassman was being
driven to the airport by Andy Stumpf, a for-
mer member of the Navy SEALs with five
Bronze Star medals and a Purple Heart who
oversaw CrossFit’s partnership with
Reebok and who also worked as Mr. Glass-
man’s pilot.
“We were in the car, and he was chuck-
ling,” said Mr. Stumpf, in an interview. “I
asked why he was in such a good mood, and
he said, ‘I finally finished up with the bull-
shit with Julie; I had to pay that whore.’ ”
Ms. Kelly declined an interview request.‘A Very Elegant Solution’
In an interview, Lauren Jenai, Mr. Glass-
man’s former wife who founded CrossFit
with him, said that the employees and ath-
letes were accurately describing the corpo-
rate atmosphere she witnessed before di-
vorcing Mr. Glassman in 2013. She also con-
firmed that Mr. Glassman entered into a fi-
nancial settlement with Ms. Kelly to avoid aChanging of the Guard at CrossFit
CONTINUED FROM PAGE D1
COOPER NEILL FOR THE NEW YORK TIMESA CrossFit workout in
Dallas. The company has
been accused of tolerating a
work environment that’s
hostile to women.