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Benjamin Cohen (left) and Anthony James
The power duo also stands accused of misogyny, bullying, and intimidation by tens of former and current employees.
Dozens of current and former employees have accused the founder of PinkNews and his physician husband of creating a toxic work environment at the U.K.-based LGBTQ+ publication through sexual misconduct with young male employees, misogynistic jokes at the expense of female employees, and workplace bullying for all gender identities.
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Employees who spoke with the BBC claimed founder Benjamin Cohen and his husband Anthony James, who is also the PinkNews COO, committed multiple acts of inappropriate sexual behavior from 2017 to 2024. Over 30 employees told similar stories, blaming the heavy-drinking environment at the organization, Cohen’s difficult and abrasive managerial style, and a fear of being fired and ostracized within the industry if they spoke out about alleged abuse. Their stories were reportedly corroborated by private communications and complaints, as well as external sources like doctors charting the mental stress from dealing with the alleged abuse.
Five former employees described an incident at a London pub late one evening following an undisclosed PinkNews event. James had reportedly cornered a junior staffer against a tree after an evening of drinking. The unnamed employees described the young staffer as “unable to consent” and “too drunk to stand or talk" but witnessed James groping and kissing the staffer.
“Anthony was just forcing himself on somebody who wasn’t able to make that decision for themselves because of how intoxicated they were,” one former employee told the BBC.
The former employees said they were able to send the staffer home in a taxi. The BBC said it viewed the complaints filed by the staffer in question but was unable to determine what disciplinary action, if any, was taken in the matter.
Another employee claimed a drunken Cohen invited him back to his home for sex when James was out of town.
“He said something along the lines of ‘Anthony is always getting with other men’ and the suggestion was we would do something sexually,” the employee said.
The same employee also described Cohen as a bully who created a toxic work environment where employees lived in fear of drawing his wrath.
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Other employees said Cohen and James frequently asked female employees if they would act as their surrogate birth mother. The pair claimed they were joking, but the women described their attempts at humor as demeaning and misogynistic.
One employee who went on the record, Stephan Kyriacou, said he was slapped on the butt by Cohen during a Christmas party.
“I was in shock,” Kyriacou recalled. “I remember turning to my friends and saying, ‘What the hell just happened?’”
Overall, the employees described the pair as “creepy” and said they avoided being alone with them.
They also said they were fearful of pushing back too strongly against the powerful gay couple.
"None of us really felt like we could complain because we didn’t know what was going to happen to us,” Kyriacou said on the record. “Ben is very well-known and we didn’t know whether he was going to badmouth us to people.”
Cohen and James appeared to deny the accusations through their representatives but declined to provide a statement to the BBC. The Advocate also requested a statement from Cohen and James but has not received a response at the time of publication.
