Vic Mignogna's Sexual Harassments

ShineCero

ShineCero

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Every year, hundreds of thousands of anime fans flock to conventions, whether it's their mid-sized local con or planning a trek to Anime Expo. The reasons are just as varied as the attendees: some will spend early morning hours assembling racks and decoration for their artist alley booth, some will perfect their make-up and glue for the cosplay masquerade, and others will hop from fan panel to fan panel to learn about dubs lost to time or obscure appearances of hamburgers in anime.

For many, conventions are a weekend of fandom and freedom. Parents can drop off a small group of friends, assured that they'll get their coveted autographs and UFO catcher plushies. It's a place to laugh loudly, be unabashedly nerdy, and interact with the creators and actors in what's assumed as a safe environment. Adults and kids alike are there to check off their "must-sees" but while everyone is running off to the next panel or cosplay meet-up, who is making sure the star-struck, awkward teens are engaging with guests appropriately and vice versa? Where is the line for appropriate guest and attendee behavior and what should be done when it's crossed?

These questions came to the forefront of social media these last weeks as rumors about convention guests and staff interactions with minors stopped being whispered and instead were shouted. A Twitter thread posted on January 16 accused dub voice actor Vic Mignogna of homophobia, rude behavior, and most concerning, making unwanted physical advances on female con-goers. The thread quickly spread with over 4,000 retweets at the time of this writing and over 400 comments, many relaying their own negative experiences, including unwanted and unsolicited physical affection from the Fullmetal Alchemist voice actor. As with any claims involving a person with a moderate fan following, Mignogna's supporters were quick to attempt to discredit individuals' claims or at the very least dispute the voice actor's intentions behind kissing or hugging attendees unannounced.

J was approximately 14 years old when she attended New York Comic-Con in 2014 and met Mignogna. She described the encounter as "really, really uncomfortable." She discussed how the voice actor put his hand underneath her zip-up sweatshirt and on her waist for the initial photo. Then, thinking that the photo-taking portion was done, she was surprised when he asked her to look toward the camera again. That's when he put his face close to hers and then kissed her.

Multiple individuals, many with friends present to corroborate, relayed their personal encounters with Mignogna with an increasingly common series of events. A fan would be in Mignogna's autograph line to get a piece of merchandise signed for a friend. Upon approaching Mignogna, they would make typical small talk before he would ask the attendee if they wanted a photo. They would agree and would unexpectedly find the voice actor kissing their cheek or pulling them in for a tight hug for the photo op. Time and again, the individuals in the picture said that the physical affection happened without their consent and made them uncomfortable. The behavior wasn't limited to one con, one person, or even one year, and for all intents and purposes seemed like a common occurrence regardless of whether the other party was a young adult or a minor. It was often done in the wide-open areas of conventions and to the cheers of crowds.

Taylor was 18 when she attended Colossalcon in Sandusky, Ohio in 2013. She was feeling ill when she got up that morning but decided to still tag along with her friend to Mignogna's autograph line. She wasn't an avid fan of Mignogna, but her friend was, so she went so her companion could get a second item signed. When it came to be their turn, Taylor said that Mignogna told her she was "adorable." She didn't think much of the statement and when he asked her if she wanted a photo she thought, "why not?" He embraced her for a photograph and when the moment was over, Taylor said he hugged her and then proceeded to kiss her face. Onlookers cheered. Taylor, who identifies as queer, reiterated that she felt extremely nauseated and that the entire event feels "gross" when she thinks about it.

No one seemed to be asking, Mignogna included, whether the other party was a willing participant or whether a celebrity should be making an intimate display toward an underage con-goer no matter the intention behind it. The line continued to blur as more individuals came forward, including one person who, at the age of 15, was given Mignogna's personal cellphone number after an encounter in his autograph line.

Azure was 15 years old and presenting as female when he met Migogna at Anime Expo in 2006 in Anaheim, California. He was in the autograph line with a friend, also 15 years old, who had prepared a gift for Mignogna. Azure was dressed in cosplay, a cardboard version of Alphonse's armor from Fullmetal Alchemist. The two approached Mignogna and Azure's friend joked that Azure's costume was "sexy." Azure was surprised when Mignogna enthusiastically agreed. The group laughed it off and left the line. Later that day, they got an exclusive visit from Mignogna in the hallway. He chatted with the group, asked them how long they were visiting the con, and then mentioned his fanclub. After making the group swear they wouldn't share it, Mignogna gave them his personal cell phone number. Azure wrote it down in his Paris Hilton diary when he arrived home from Anaheim. A reverse phone records search shows that the number Azure provided belonged to Mignogna until at least 2016....... 
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Source: https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/in...fection-from-voice-actor-vic-mignogna/.142212

You can read the full information of the story in the link above.

Well, it's been circulating for a few weeks now, and it seems that things gotten out of hand. Regardless of your view of his career, at the very least, these are some boundaries issues that clearly have been crossed. 

It seems that this story has been around for some time now and it's seemingly an open secret among conventions. No word from Funimation yet.
 
Look I can't really comment on all the disgusting allegations against Vic short of scream "WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH YOU, YOU ABSOLUTE MOTHERFUCKER". I simply can't write anything more higher process than that.

I know it's selfish but I'm glad Qrow isn't going to be immediately axed from RWBY because Vic's gone. They'll probably just kill him later when he gets unpopular because of the voice change.
 
Yeah, even if Vic isn't a pedophile crawling in the streets, at the barest absolute minimum, an 40+ year old man should know not to touch anyone, especially strangers, without some kind of consent and/or permission from their parents.

https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/ne...in-morose-mononokean-english-dub-cast/.143026

Finally, Funimation is making some changes. Let's see if Vic will get booted out of Dragon Ball and other animes. I think he'd already replaced in RBWY. EDIT: Didn't see Loopy's post, but that's a good confirmation.
 
Vic's another one who there were funny rumors about for a LONG time. I don't honestly buy ALL of the allegations here, but I did know a person IRL who saw him at a con and mentioned years ago that he made a lot of flirtatious jokes at minors....so I think at least a lot of it is. It's amazing how an army of angry 14 year old girls on the internet could scare so many cons from looking into this more, because at the very least he made a lot of people feel MIIIIIGHTY uncomfortable for a LOOOONG time.
 
JamesYTP said:
Vic's another one who there were funny rumors about for a LONG time. I don't honestly buy ALL of the allegations here, but I did know a person IRL who saw him at a con and mentioned years ago that he made a lot of flirtatious jokes at minors....so I think at least a lot of it is. It's amazing how an army of angry 14 year old girls on the internet could scare so many cons from looking into this more, because at the very least he made a lot of people feel MIIIIIGHTY uncomfortable for a LOOOONG time.
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Yeah. I remember seeing this around for a long time now, but I (foolishly) dismissed because I think certain "reasons" were dumb. I'm ashamed to not looking further and deeper than the actual shit that comes with it.

Regardless of how you feel about a person, it shouldn't suddenly prevent one from thinking critically. You have people screaming at the top of their lungs about "MeToo" and "SJWs", simply because it targets a dude. :thonk:

It makes me question that they really don't give a shit about Vic but rather, another dumbass attempt to point fingers at the "boogeyman left", 

Either way, I'm glad Vic got the fucking boot. Let's hope there aren't other fucking creeps lurking around.
 
Tons of Clickbait title videos alleging Vic is innocent have appeared on Youtube over the past two to three days with titles straight out of Buzzfeed, Fandom News, or Fox News. I don't really need to explain anything. Watching the videos is definitely a waste of time however.

In addition, the only discussions on it I can find are mostly either 4chan planning to attack RT over removing Vic and a Reddit posts mostly consisting of insults, baseless statements, and arguments over whether shoving things into someone's ass in a discussion over whether someone is homophobic is hypocritically homophobic. Wonders of the Anime fandom everyone.

There's no news publications making ANY mention of evidence proving Vic's innocence. Which, makes the clickbait videos all the more doubting. I have a friend (who I managed to piss off) who claims "small communities I'm in are collecting evidence that proves the allegations are false." He basically described a conspiracy theory like Qanon or any other "I know something nobody else does" conspiracy.
 
Grey Star said:
Tons of Clickbait title videos alleging Vic is innocent have appeared on Youtube over the past two to three days with titles straight out of Buzzfeed, Fandom News, or Fox News. I don't really need to explain anything. Watching the videos is definitely a waste of time however.

In addition, the only discussions on it I can find are mostly either 4chan planning to attack RT over removing Vic and a Reddit posts mostly consisting of insults, baseless statements, and arguments over whether shoving things into someone's ass in a discussion over whether someone is homophobic is hypocritically homophobic. Wonders of the Anime fandom everyone.

There's no news publications making ANY mention of evidence proving Vic's innocence. Which, makes the clickbait videos all the more doubting. I have a friend (who I managed to piss off) who claims "small communities I'm in are collecting evidence that proves the allegations are false." He basically described a conspiracy theory like Qanon or any other "I know something nobody else does" conspiracy.
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Yikes. Your friends, along with countless others, is textbook example of knuckles-dragging levels of stupid. They're so adamant about making this some sort of conspiracy theory that they will literally put their heads in the sand and flat out ignore all forms of evidences.

Here's a list of links for anyone who doubts the facts. The user, Fionordequester, deserves credit for constructing this nice list.

Only 230 out of 1000 Sexual Assaults are Reported (also gives reasons for why that is):
https://www.rainn.org/statistics/crimin

Testimony Counts as "Evidence":
https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/18/3502

Funimation Drops Vic after Investigation: https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DzKJ7v6V4AA1st2.jpg
https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/bbs/ph
https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/bbs/ph

Relevant excerpts from "Illia Sadri": A long time con staff member
(https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/bbs/ph ... &start=105)

Before dumbasses storm the thread saying "wHy aRe tHey sAyiNg nOw?" This was always a thing as far back as 2011:
https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/boards/2000121-anime-and-manga-other-titles/67872530
https://hetalia-wank.livejournal.com/3187.html?thread=115571#t115571
http://vicmeggnognahorrorstories.tumblr.com/search/ Creepy

Photoshopping Claim is False (note how Valerie Dave's name was NOT blanked out when this was leaked):
https://i.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/newsfeed/001/457/801/1cb.jpg
https://i.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/newsfeed/001/457/803/fcf.jpg
https://i.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/newsfeed/001/457/805/ab1.jpg

"Valerie Depa" FB Account was Stolen from Someone Else to Smear "KickVic":
https://www.deviantart.com/laundrysoapman/journal/Valerie-Depa-is-not-me-on-Facebook-784600047

https://prettyuglylittleliar.net/topic/3255-vic-mignogna/ (general Vic Stories and Rumors thread)
https://twitter.com/x/status/1094729435583037440
(sexual assault before he was famous)
also
https://twitter.com/x/status/1095125197932384256
(addressing common troll argument about her story)
https://twitter.com/x/status/1094020618327150592
(Funi VA testimony)
https://twitter.com/x/status/1093275331929296897
(Funi VA testimony)
https://twitter.com/x/status/1092892945051717635
(Funi VA testimony)
https://twitter.com/_maryados_/status/1085962248525205504 (non-consensual kiss to 15-yo with receipts)
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