Arts & Entertainment

Director Bryan Singer sued for alleged rape of 17-year-old boy

this is the third sexual abuse allegation against the filmmaker

Published

6 years ago

December 8, 2017

Mariah Cooper

(Screenshot via YouTube.)

Director Bryan Singer has been accused of allegedly raping a 17-year-old boy at a party in 2003.

According to court documents filed in King County, Wash., Cesar Sanchez-Guzman claims he met Singer at a yacht party hosted by Lester Waters, who “was a wealthy tech investor who frequently hosted parties for young gay males in the Seattle area.”

Sanchez-Guzman says while Singer was giving him a tour of the yacht he brought him into the master bedroom and shut the door. The lawsuit alleges Singer “forced Cesar to the floor, shoved Cesar’s face against his crotch area and demanded Cesar perform oral sex on him.”

When Sanchez-Guzman refused, the documents state “Singer forced him into acts of oral and anal sex.”

The lawsuit continues on that Singer threatened to ruin Sanchez-Guzman’s reputation if he told anyone about the incident.

“Later, Bryan Singer approached Cesar and told him that he was a producer in Hollywood and that he could help Cesar get into acting as long as Cesar never said anything about the incident,” the court documents read. “He then told Cesar that no one would believe him if he ever reported the incident, and that he could hire people who are capable of ruining someone’s reputation.”

Sanchez-Guzman says the alleged incident has caused him “to experience severe psychological, mental and emotional injuries, shame, humiliation and loss of enjoyment of life.”

In a statement to People, Singer’s rep denied the claims.

“Bryan categorically denies these allegations and will vehemently defend this lawsuit to the very end. Cesar Sanchez-Guzman apparently claims that he did not remember this alleged incident from 2003 until now. Significantly, when Sanchez-Guzman filed for bankruptcy only a few years ago, he failed to disclose this alleged claim when he was supposed to identify all of his assets, but conveniently, now that the bankruptcy court discharged all of his debts, he is able to recall the alleged events,” the statement reads.

This isn’t the first time Singer has faced sexual misconduct allegations. In 2014, Michael Egan III filed a civil suit against Singer alleging the director forced him to have sex at parties in Encino and Hawaii while he was a teenager in the late ’90s. Egan later dropped the lawsuit.

Later that year, another man filed a sexual abuse lawsuit against Singer and entertainment executive Gary Goddard. The lawsuit claims Singer fondled him and tried to have sex with him. It also alleges Goodard participated in nude webcam sessions with him when he was 15 and had sex with him when was 16.

Both Singer and Goddard denied the allegations.

In addition to his legal troubles, Singer was recently fired from directing Queen biopic, “Bohemian Rhapsody” with rumors swirling his on-set absences and altercations with cast members Rami Malek and Tom Holland contributed to his departure. Dexter Fletcher has been named the film’s new director.

In light of the recent allegation, students at the USC School of Cinematic Arts have started a petition requesting that the school remove Singer’s name from the Division of Cinema and Media Studies.

“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, the petition, which has almost received its 5,000 signature goal, reads.

Related Topics:Bryan Singer Cesar Sanchez-Guzman people

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Nightlife

Ed Bailey brings Secret Garden to Project GLOW festival

An LGBTQ-inclusive dance space at RFK this weekend

Published

3 mins ago

April 26, 2024

Evan Caplan

Ed Bailey's set at last year's Project Glow. (Photo courtesy Bailey)

When does a garden GLOW? When it’s run by famed local gay DJ Ed Bailey.

This weekend, music festival Project GLOW at RFK Festival Grounds will feature Bailey’s brainchild the Secret Garden, a unique space just for the LGBTQ community that he launched in 2023.

While Project GLOW, running April 27-28, is a stage for massive electronic DJ sets in a large outdoor space, Secret Garden is more intimate, though no less adrenaline-forward. He’s bringing the nightclub to the festival. The garden is a dance area that complements the larger stages, but also stands on its own as a draw for festival-goers. Its focus is on DJs that have a presence and following in the LGBTQ audience world.

“The Secret Garden is a showcase for what LGBTQ nightlife, and nightclubs in general, are all about,” he says. “True club DJs playing club music for people that want to dance in a fun environment that is high energy and low stress. It’s the cool party inside the bigger party.”

Project GLOW launched in 2022. Bailey connected with the operators after the first event, and they discussed Bailey curating his own space for 2023. “They were very clear that they wanted me to lean into the vibrant LGBTQ nightlife of D.C. and allow that community to be very visibly a part of this area.”

Last year, club icon Kevin Aviance headlined the Secret Garden. The GLOW festival organizers loved the its energy from last year, and so asked Bailey to bring it back again, with an entire year to plan.

This year, Bailey says, he is “bringing in more D.C. nightlife legends.” Among those are DJ Sedrick, “a DJ and entertainer legend. He was a pivotal part of Tracks nightclub and is such a dynamic force of entertainment,” says Bailey. “I am excited for a whole new audience to be able to experience his very special brand of DJing!”

Also, this year brings in Illustrious Blacks, a worldwide DJ duo with roots in D.C.; and “house music legends” DJs Derrick Carter and DJ Spen.

Bailey is focusing on D.C.’s local talent, with a lineup including Diyanna Monet, Strikestone!, Dvonne, Baronhawk Poitier, THABLACKGOD, Get Face, Franxx, Baby Weight, and Flower Factory DJs KS, Joann Fabrixx, and PWRPUFF.

Secret Garden also brings in performers who meld music with dance, theater, and audience interactions for a multi-sensory experience.

Bailey is an owner of Trade and Number Nine, and was previously an owner of Town Danceboutique. Over the last 35 years, Bailey owned and operated more than 10 bars and clubs in D.C. He has an impressive resume, too. Since starting in 1987, he’s DJ’d across the world for parties and nightclubs large and intimate. He says that he opened “in concert for Kylie Minogue, DJed with Junior Vasquez, played giant 10,000-person events, and small underground parties.” He’s also held residencies at clubs in Atlanta, Miami, and here in D.C. at Tracks, Nation, and Town.

With Secret Garden, Bailey and GLOW aim to bring queer performers into the space not just for LGBTQ audiences, but for the entire music community to meet, learn about, and enjoy. While they might enjoy fandom among queer nightlife, this Garden is a platform for them to meet the entirety of GLOW festival goers.

Weekend-long Project GLOW brings in headliners and artists from EDM and electronic music, with big names like ILLENIUM, Zedd, and Rezz. In all, more than 50 artists will take the three stages at the third edition of Project GLOW, presented by Insomniac (Electric Daisy Carnival) and Club Glow (Echostage, Soundcheck).

Out & About

Washington Improv Theatre hosts ‘The Queeries’

Event to celebrate queer DMV talent and pop culture camp

Published

1 hour ago

April 26, 2024

Tinashe Chingarande

The Washington Improv Theatre, along with the Mayor’s Office of LGBTQ Affairs and the Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington DC, will team up to host “The Queeries!” on Friday, April 26 at 9:30 p.m. at Studio Theatre.

The event will celebrate Queer DMV talent and pop culture camp. With a mixture of audience-submitted nominations and blatantly undemocratically declared winners, “The Queeries!” mimics LGBTQ life itself: unfair, but far more fun than the alternative.

The event will be co-hosted by Birdie and Butchie, who have invited some of their favorite bent winos, D.C. “D-listers,” former Senate staffers, and other stars to sashay down the lavender carpet for the selfie-strewn party of the year.

Tickets are just $15 and can be purchased on WITV’s website.