When Lucy DeCoutere decided to share her own story of alleged abuse by Jian Ghomeshi, she expected it would be greeted with backlash.
“I was really bracing myself for a lot of negative feedback, but I didn’t really know what that would be,” the actress best known for playing Lucy on “Trailer Park Boys” told CTV News Thursday.
But after her name and picture were published in the Toronto Star, the feedback went from being “acerbic” and “very aggressive towards the victims” to offering “a lot of warmth for the folks who have been hurt and who have … been unable to come forward,” she said.
DeCoutere recounted to CTV News how she met Ghomeshi at a television conference, where he gave her his business card. She established a correspondence with him and they spent some time together in Toronto in 2003.
They went out for dinner one night and came back to his house, where, after some kissing, DeCoutere alleges Ghomeshi took her by the throat, pressed her against the wall and “then he slapped me a few times.”
“There was no conversation. There was no request. There was nothing and that’s why it was so weird,” she said.
A total of nine women have come forward to say that they were abused or sexually harassed by Ghomeshi. After DeCoutere became the first woman to publicly reveal her name, author Reva Seth wrote a first-hand account of the night in 2002 when Ghomeshi allegedly assaulted her.
DeCoutere said she was happy to see all the messages of support on Twitter and social media since the story broke. Hundreds of people have responded using the hashtag #IBelieveLucy.
Although the hashtag bears her name, DeCoutere said it’s “not about me.
“It’s like I’ve attached my name to the story and so what people are believing is, they’re believing the story.”
The allegations against Ghomeshi also sparked the #BeenRapedNeverReported hashtag, used by women to share their first-hand stories of sexual assault.
DeCoutere’s “Trailer Park Boys” co-stars were among those who expressed their support on Twitter.
please keep the discussion going about why people who have been abused are afraid to go public #ibelievelucy
— Sarah Dunsworth (@SarahDunsworth) October 30, 2014
And there was plenty of support from all over the Twitterverse.
I have known Jian Ghomeshi for more than 2 decades and #ibelievelucy, as well as the other courageous women, named and unnamed.
— Naomi Klein (@NaomiAKlein) October 30, 2014
So many assault victims remain silent for fear of ridicule, doubt, blame and retribution. I applaud @lucydecoutere. #ibelievelucy
— Kari Skelton (@KariSkelton) October 30, 2014
I completely understand & respect why women are not willing to come forward publicly, but I am so grateful to those who are. #ibelievethem
— Melanie MacDonald (@lifeofmytime) October 30, 2014
#ibelievelucy grateful to Lucy for the courage it took to step out. I stand in solidarity w/ those who have been silenced #ibelievethem
— Pearl Mendonça (@PearlMendonca) October 30, 2014
