Couple who run LGBT news website deny sexual misconduct allegations

The couple in charge of the world's largest LGBT website have furiously denied sexual misconduct allegations, branding the accusations 'false, inconsistent and malicious'.

In the first statement since concerns were raised about their behaviour, PinkNews masterminds Benjamin Cohen and Anthony James have spoken out by way of an open letter where they claim the public has been 'misled'.

It comes after a BBC documentary had aired the complaints of 30 former and current workers who alleged a culture of heavy drinking leading to instances of inappropriate behaviour from them both.

The pair initially stated they were unable to respond to the allegations due to an ongoing criminal investigation but are now saying they are unhappy the BBC decided to go ahead and broadcast the documentary anyway despite their lack of comment.

Complaints levelled in the programme, PinkNews: Behind Closed Doors, include several former employees alleging they had witnessed Mr James kissing and touching a junior colleague who appeared too drunk to consent.

One accuser said: 'When the CEO of the company is supposedly the biggest liability at the Christmas party, it's not a great look.' 

Cohen, 42, is the founder of PinkNews, while his husband and former GP Dr James, 35, is chief operating officer. A family-run business, Mr Cohen's father Richard is also the chief lawyer.

The couple say they have now been 'forced' to publish their statement on the allegations and that they do so 'with regret'.

It reads: 'In August, we made a criminal complaint to the police in relation to alleged offences committed against us that are connected with these recent reports.

'As we told the BBC prior to its initial broadcast, a police investigation was ongoing and we were advised not to make comment.

'We are now aware that devices had been seized with forensic investigations continuing.

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'Despite the BBC being aware of the police investigation, it chose to broadcast and misled the public about our response. We have consulted lawyers in respect of these false, inconsistent and malicious allegations.

'We had explained to the BBC, that the stage of the police investigation meant that it was not possible for us to comment on the specific allegations even though they were strenuously denied. The BBC disregarded the police investigation and then misled its audience about our response.

'The impact of the BBC's reporting on our family life has been significant and it has caused extremely serious harm to us, PinkNews and our colleagues.'

The BBC has since maintained its report had been 'in the public interest'. It adds that more than 10 more former staff have come forward after the findings were published last week to share their experiences at PinkNews.

A BBC spokesman said: 'The BBC reported the allegations made by several members of staff at PinkNews.

'We approached Mr Cohen and Dr James for comment and we made it clear in our reporting that they said they were unable to provide a comment at this time, but they denied the allegations.

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'We believe it was in the public interest to report this story.'

Several people had also spoken in the documentary of how some young female workers were allegedly asked to act as a surrogate for the couple.

Around 33 people who worked at PinkNews between 2017 and 2024 came forward to make allegations, according to the BBC.

A spokesman for PM Keir Starmer, who attended the PinkNews Awards in 2022, last week called the allegations 'very concerning.' 

Five ex-employees claimed they witnessed Mr James groping and kissing a junior colleague who was 'too drunk to stand or talk' and 'unable to consent'. They say this took place outside a pub in central London, where staff were drinking after a PinkNews event.

One ex-staffer, who claimed Mr James led the colleague behind a tree, said: '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 report that an alleged victim was put into a taxi home, according to people at the event.

But several others told the BBC they were too scared to lodge a complaint, including one who said: 'It's the CEO's husband, what are you going to do? Lose your job?'

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The BBC also say they have also seen a range of evidence, including official complaints, private emails and WhatsApps sharing concerns and doctors' rectors referring to stress and mental health problems attributed to working at PinkNews. 

It was back in 2005 that Mr Cohen - who was Channel 4's technology correspondent at the time - launched PinkNews after he struggled to get a story about the 'pink pound' (the spending power of gay men and lesbians) published in mainstream business media.

Over the next decade, though, the website boomed in popularity – playing a key role in the campaign to legalise same-sex marriage in 2013.

Such is its standing, PinkNews went on to welcome senior politicians to its annual awards event including then-prime minister Theresa May in 2017, and Sir Keir Starmer in 2022, when he was leader of the Opposition. Asked if he would attend the awards again this week, the Prime Minister's spokesman said only that 'everyone should be free' from inappropriate workplace behaviour.

PinkNews now boasts 150 million monthly users, 55 staff members and – for the year to December 31, 2022 – reported pre-tax profits of £1.5million.

But it has not been without controversy over the years. In 2017, the site sparked a backlash after publishing an article reporting on comments on social media that a then-four-year-old Prince George was a 'gay icon'. Northern Irish politician Jim Allister, leader of the conservative Traditional Unionist Voice (TUV) party, said the article was 'sick' and demanded an apology.

Wading into the row, Mr Cohen described the piece as 'tongue-in-cheek' and said it was based on 'hundreds' of social media comments and was not a statement of fact from the editors.

Two years later, the site was mocked for publishing an article explaining the gender pronouns 'ze' and 'zir' which can be used by transgender, non-binary or gender-non-conforming people.

Another former employee Stephan Kyriacou said he thought getting a job as a PinkNews producer in 2019 was a 'dream come true' as he did not have to 'hide who I was or pretend'.

But he said his view soon changed due to Mr Cohen's behaviour, after he slapped him on the bottom during a Christmas party. 'I just shut down for a minute. I didn't know what to say,' Mr Kyriacou recalled. 'I was in shock. I remember turning to my friends and saying, 'What the hell just happened?'

Describing Mr Cohen as a 'creep', he added: 'None of us really felt like we could complain because we didn't know what was going to happen to us. Ben is very well-known and we didn't know whether he was going to badmouth us to people.'

Another former member staff told of the relief people felt when they left PinkNews:'I know that many people who have got out of that environment see it like getting out of an abusive relationship.'

The couple, who married at Kew Gardens in 2018, had a son Macaulay on May 15, with Mr Cohen announcing on Facebook that their 'surrogacy journey has taken us six years of a lot of ups and downs.'

He thanked Dr James' sister Leanne who completed two rounds of embryo creation with him during lockdown and their friend, Katie, who was the surrogate mother.