CA- X-Men director sued for sexual assault, SNAP responds
For immediate release: Thursday, April 17, 2014
Statement by Joelle Casteix, Southern California Director of SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (949-322-7434, [email protected])
A Hollywood director is being sued for allegedly sexually assaulting a teenager. We are glad that this brave victim is being given a voice.
As this lawsuit moves forward, we hope investigators and the public will not let the fame of director Bryan Singer cloud their judgment. It takes a great deal of courage for victims of child sexual abuse to come forward. They rarely do so lightly.
This lawsuit was filed in Hawaii because of the state's recent temporary suspension of the statute of limitations for child sex crimes. We are grateful that the archaic SOL was suspended, allowing more suffering victims to finally seek justice, expose predators and protect kids.
We hope anyone else who may have been hurt by Singer will gain courage from this and speak up.
Finally, we're always disappointed when alleged predators question the timing of child sex abuse lawsuits. We as a society need to make it easier, not harder, for alleged victims of heinous sex crimes to step forward. Attacking an accuser's motives makes it harder for all victims to speak up.
One can defend oneself from allegations without attacking one's accusers. That's the right and sensitive way to respond. And whenever a child sex case is filed, it should be addressed on its merits, not on the timing of it.
We suspect the real reason the suit was filed now is because Hawaii's legal “window” closes within days.
(SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, is the world’s oldest and largest support group for clergy abuse victims. We’ve been around for 25 years and have more than 15,000 members. Despite the word “priest” in our title, we have members who were molested by religious figures of all denominations, including nuns, rabbis, bishops, and Protestant ministers. Our website is SNAPnetwork.org)
Contact - David Clohessy (314-566-9790 cell, [email protected]), Barbara Dorris (314-503-0003, [email protected])
Winter Appeal 2023
To our friends,
2023 has been a long year with many ups and downs for us all. As we close out the year, we at SNAP hope that you are feeling like you are on your way to being healthy, fulfilled, and happy. This past year has brought both successes and challenges. Thanks to the support you have shown in the past, we’ve been able to celebrate the good days and weather the stormy ones. Now, we are once again asking for your support as we work to support survivors new and old as we ‘Move SNAP Forward.’
At SNAP we are proud to have hosted a very well-attended conference in August 2023. This event allowed us to gather friends, survivors, advocates, and allies for a weekend of camaraderie and connection. We were so happy to be able to welcome many first-time attendees to gather in person and are already looking forward to the next conference.
To strengthen our movement for justice, healing, and prevention, SNAP will be expanding our peer support and providing more volunteer opportunities in the coming year. Through this great work, we are ensuring survivor voices are represented as we work for significant change that will benefit children and survivors.
Right now, survivors worldwide are getting the help they need from SNAP, and more and more reach out to us daily, but we need your help to keep those programs going and get our volunteers the training they need to thrive.
Your tax-deductible gift to SNAP can help offset the cost of our important mission. If you are not in a position to contribute, you can still support us by sharing this letter with those who can. As we continue to fight for survivors across the globe, your donation or sharing the great work SNAP does will help us continue our work to protect the vulnerable, heal the wounded, and prevent abuse.
Your donation ensures SNAP will be there for those who need us more than ever!
Warmly,
Michael W. McDonnell, C.P.S.
Interim Executive Director
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