A group of students at the University of Southern California are demanding that Bryan Singer’s name be removed from the film school.
‘We, the students of the USC School of Cinematic Arts, are formally requesting that Bryan Singer’s name be removed from our Division of Cinema and Media Studies,’ reads the Change.org petition started by seven students from the school.
‘It is completely unacceptable that this prestigious department within our school still carries the name of Bryan Singer, a man accused multiple times of sexual harassment, assault, and pedophilia.’
This comes as the predatory ways of a number of Hollywood heavyweights have come under fire, with allegations being made about Harvey Weinstein, James Toback, Brett Ratner and more.
The college recently refused a donation from Weinstein for $5 million, a decision that the students who drafted the petition say they ‘applaud.’
The petition has 2500 signatures as of Wednesday evening.
Takedown: A USC School of Cinematic Arts petition is demanding that Bryan Singer’s name be removed from the Division of Cinema and Media Studies
Gone: A young man’s tweet in which he alleged that Singer touched him inappropriately over a decade ago was deleted as was a Yahoo story (above) about the claim
Ally: A tweet from Evan Rachel Wood about Singer was also deleted, but one posted by Jessica Chastain remains online which reads: ‘Let us not forget’ (above)
There are also new claims being made against Singer, including one young man who alleged that the director touched him inappropriately over a decade ago.
The thread detailing that claim was taken off Twitter however and the user’s profile deleted, while a story on Yahoo about the allegation was taken offline.
At the same time, a tweet by Evan Rachel Wood referencing past allegations against Singer was taken off the actress’ account, much like a comment from actor Noah Galvin was removed last year from an interview in New York.
Galvin later issued an apology for his comment, stating: ‘My comments were false and unwarranted.’
The only Hollywood celebrity who has refused to back down and not been silenced it would appear is actress Jessica Chastain, who just last week shared a link to a Daily Wire article about the new allegation against Singer.
‘Let us not forget,’ wrote Chastain.
Singer deleted his own Twitter account around that time.
When asked about her decision to speak out about Singer, who is a producer on the upcoming X-Men film starring Chastain, she said to The Daily Beast: ‘Because of the timing of when I came into the industry, I decided for me – my career could go away tomorrow, and I’ll do something else, and I’ll be OK. Because I was OK before I came into this career.
‘For me, there’s a lot that I have that isn’t acting. I made a decision very early on to not work with people that I felt abused their positions, and didn’t create a healthy environment for those around them.’
She then said that Singer had nothing to do with her decision to do X-Men and that she did not work with him on the set.
Chastain also made it clear that no amount of pressure or threats were going to keep her quiet.
‘I do not feel beholden to anything. I’m going to speak my mind about any injustice that I see. I’m not afraid of anything in terms of that,’ explained Chastain.
‘And I think the greatest myth that an industry can create is to make people feel like they’re easily replaceable. I’m not going to allow that into my life.’
Clean slate: Singer has never been found guilty of sexual harassment or assault at any time (Singer and Adam Lambert above)
In 1997, while shooting the film ‘Apt Pupil,’ a 14-year-old boy filed a lawsuit claiming that he and other minors were asked to strip naked while filming a shower scene in the picture, which was directed by Singer.
Two more teens would come forward to support his claim, but the suit was ultimately dismissed for insufficient evidence.
Michael Egan claimed in a 2014 lawsuit that he began being sexually abused when he was 14 or 15 after moving to Los Angeles with his family to start his acting career.
It was in LA that he was introduced to Hollywood powerplayer Marc Collins-Rector and his lover Chad Shackley when he was invited to a party at Collins-Rector’s home.
These parties allegedly ‘featured sexual contact between adult males and the many teenage boys,’ according to Egan, but he maintains he ‘never freely’ consented to the advances.
It was two or three months after Collins-Rector began allegedly abusing Egan that he was introduced to Singer at one of the parties he claimed in his lawsuit.
Egan said he was in the pool, and nude, when Collins-Rector approached him and ordered him out to hug Singer, who allegedly grabbed his bare buttocks.
He claimed Singer later said he was ‘sexy’ and went on to masturbate the underage boy and perform oral sex on him. The director then told Egan to do the same to him, but he says he resisted.
Singer denied these allegations, claiming they were ‘outrageous, vicious, and completely false.’
Egan ultimately withdrew his lawsuit after turning down a $100,000 settlement from Singer with an option to re-file at any time.
There have also been a number of people who have come to Singer’s defense, including his friend Robert Meyer Burnett.
‘Bryan has never hidden who he is. His appetites, predilections, his tastes are well-known to anyone who’s spent any time with him. Like all of us, he certainly has his eccentricities, foibles and shortcomings, which are known by everyone familiar with him. Certainly, there are those who don’t agree or approve of his choices, or how he choses to publicly lead his life. Which is true of just about every human on the planet,’ wrote Burnett in a Facebook post.
‘But I can honestly say Bryan isn’t a rapist, pedophile or physical abuser. Causing ongoing Mental Anguish? Well, most certainly, but that comes with being the special kind of crazy person a multi-national corporation will entrust with 200 million dollars of their money.’
Burnett then went after the studnets at USFC for starting their petition.
‘That’s why seeing USC students, a University I once attended, take out a petition to remove Bryan’s name from the program he endowed with FIVE MILLION DOLLARS of his own money, based on unproven allegations, rumors, innuendo, homophobia, insane jealousy, specious lawsuits resulting in nothing, and just plain spite, is disappointing in the extreme,’ wrote Burnett.
‘I was there at USC for the ceremony where Bryan bequeathed such an extraordinary gift to the school, and I think it was probably one of the single proudest moments of his life. To see such an accomplishment tarnished is simply heartbreaking.’
Singer is currently directing the upcoming Freddie Mercury bio pic Bohemian Rhapsody.