Former Pink News Staffers Accuse Couple Behind the Site of Sexual Misconduct

The married couple behind British gay site Pink News have been accused by former staffers of sexual misconduct, misogyny, and bullying – allegations that the couple deny.

The BBC reported that "more than 30 current and former members of staff said a culture of heavy drinking led to instances when founder Benjamin Cohen and his husband behaved inappropriately towards younger male employees."

A former staffer also "told the BBC they saw Anthony James, a director at the UK-based company and husband of its founder, kissing and touching a junior colleague who they say appeared too drunk to consent," the report said.

British newspaper the Independent relayed that, according to the staffer who made that allegation, "Anthony was just forcing himself on somebody who wasn't able to make that decision for themselves because of how intoxicated they were."

The BBC also reported that former staffers "had claimed they had experienced bullying and sexual misconduct which made some of them feel unsafe to be alone around Mr Cohen and Dr James."

"Allegations of misogyny have also emerged," the article went on to say, "and several people told us that some young female members of staff had been asked to act as the couple's surrogates."

As evidence, the BBC cited interviews with "33 people who worked at PinkNews between 2017 and 2024, official written complaints, private emails and WhatsApp messages sharing staff members' concerns, plus doctors' records referring to stress and mental health struggles attributed to the work environment at PinkNews."

The Independent reported that "Representatives for Mr Cohen and Dr James told the BBC they could not provide a statement 'at this time' but said all of the allegations were false."

The BBC produced an 18-minute documentary report titled "PinkNews: Behind Closed Doors" that purports to go behind the scenes at the site and uncover allegations of egregious misconduct.

"PinkNews played a key role in campaigning for marriage equality in the UK and many prime ministers and politicians have attended its annual awards ceremony," UK newspaper the Daily Mail backgrounded.

"Mr Cohen is the founder of PinkNews, while his husband and former GP Dr James is chief operating officer," the article added. "A family-run business, Mr Cohen's father Richard is also the chief lawyer."

The Mail's account quoted one former staffer who claimed that Cohen propositioned him at a "pub night" attended by the site's employees.

"Ben was extremely drunk to the point he fell off his chair, and then asked me out of earshot of my other colleagues whether I wanted to go back to his," the source claimed, adding that Cohen told him "something along the lines of 'Anthony is always getting with other men' and the suggestion was we would do something sexually."

"I was extremely uncomfortable."

That was not the only accusation naming Cohen; the Mail added that "Stephan Kyriacou, who worked at PinkNews between 2019 and 2021, alleged that Mr Cohen slapped him on the bottom in front of everyone at a work Christmas Party," before reporting that Kyriacou also alleged that Pink News "workers would call Mr Cohen a 'creep' on the work group chat but felt they couldn't complain out of fear."

There were also allegations of a toxic workplace, with former staffers saying "that Mr Cohen would often shout at and belittle his workers."

Staff at the site "have called for the resignation" of Cohen and James, the Independent reported in a subsequent article.