Eight women have accused Gaiman of sexual assault, coercion, and abuse. Representatives for the author have rebutted the allegations, claiming they were consensual encounters, per the magazine.
Allegations against Gaiman were first brought to light during an episode of Tortoise Media's Master podcast last summer.
“Gaiman has for decades described himself as a feminist writer. He is someone who spoke specifically to women, who women felt seen by, and who women felt safe with. So I knew immediately there’s this dissonance between who he says he is and these stories,” said New York Magazine features writer Lila Shapiro of the allegations.
Allegations against the author feature violence, BDSM, and “a culture with a set of long-standing norms."
"The most important of which is that all parties must eagerly and clearly consent to the overall dynamic as well as to each act before they engage in it,” Shapiro said. “The defining feature of BDSM is consent, and there’s actually more emphasis on consent than outside BDSM. If just one party consents, then it’s not BDSM but abuse."
In January 2023, one of the accusers filed a police report against Gaiman alleging sexual assault, though the "matter has been closed," according to a spokesperson for the author.
“Some of the horrible stories now being told simply never happened, while others have been so distorted from what actually took place that they bear no relationship to reality,” Gaimain wrote if the initial allegations last year, per CNN. “I am prepared to take responsibility for any missteps I made. I’m not willing to turn my back on the truth, and I can’t accept being described as someone I am not, and cannot and will not admit to doing things I didn’t do.”
