Best Coast’s Bethany Cosentino has penned an entry for Lena Dunham’s Lenny Letter series
Bethany Consentino, the driving force behind Best Coast, has written an essay that touches on a number of issues surrounding gender inequality in the music industry.
The singer and guitarist touches on subjects ranging from disrespectful journalists and abusive audiences to the “vulgar, inappropriate heckling” of misogynists who hide behind their online handles and the recent sexual misconduct allegations raised in regard to music publicist Heathcliff Berru.
“When I saw these tweets, I knew I had to speak up, because Heathcliff has sexually harassed me too. I had never shared my story publicly because I was afraid of the backlash that I might receive or that I would come across like some kind of wrathful bitch. After I read Amber’s tweets, I decided it was time to tweet in support of her. I wasn’t just one of his victims — I knew plenty of other women who had their own “Heathcliff stories.” Consetino says in the letter, “After I supported Amber, the floodgates opened. Women started writing how they had felt personally victimized by his actions. By the following morning, Heathcliff had stepped down as CEO of his PR company, which has since become defunct. As much as it pains me to see these stories from so many women, stories that go back as far as ten years and are as recent as only a few months ago, I am so glad that this situation was finally brought to light and that these victims now have a supportive bond and can provide strength to others who may want to come forward.”
You can read Consentino’s full essay by subscribing to Lenny Letter.
