The PinkNews director Anthony James has been suspended from work in the NHS after more than 30 current and former workers at the online newspaper made allegations of inappropriate behaviour.
Bedfordshire hospitals NHS foundation trust said on Wednesday that it had decided to suspend James from his role as associate non-executive director pending further information.
James and his husband, Benjamin Cohen, the founder and chief executive of PinkNews, have been accused of sexual misconduct towards younger male colleagues after a BBC investigation.
Several former staff members said they had witnessed James, a director and chief operating officer of the UK-based organisation, kissing and groping a junior colleague who they believed was too drunk to consent.
Multiple former employees also told the broadcaster they had seen or personally experienced bullying and sexual misconduct, which had made some of them feel unsafe to be alone with Cohen and James.
The BBC said the men’s representatives had told them they were unable to provide a statement before publication, but that they denied the claims. Five former employees said they had seen James, a former GP, kissing and touching a junior member of staff outside a pub at a PinkNews event, despite the employee being “too drunk to stand or talk” and “unable to consent”.
One witness said James had led the junior colleague behind a tree. “Anthony was just forcing himself on somebody who wasn’t able to make that decision for themselves because of how intoxicated they were,” he said.
The drunk man was helped into a taxi by those present, but several employees who had witnessed the incident told the BBC they were too scared to complain. One said: “It’s the CEO’s husband, what are you going to do? Lose your job?”
The corporation said it had seen multiple copies of an internal complaint made about the incident, which had been shared with several members of the senior leadership team. It said it had been unable to establish if any action had been taken.
Separately, one former staff member – among 33 current and former employees interviewed by the broadcaster – told the BBC that Cohen had slapped him on the bottom in front of colleagues at a party, after which, he said: “I just shut down for a minute. I didn’t know what to say. I was in shock.”
PinkNews, founded by Cohen in 2005, has grown to become a prominent and influential voice for LGBTQ+ people, and was central to the campaign for equal marriage in the UK.
