The Backstreet Boys are back, and whilst that makes many people around the world happy, others don’t feel the same.

The group released a single back in May – ‘Don’t Go Breaking My Heart’, if you must take a look – and they’re back in the limelight, with a world tour planned.

I’m sure that’s good for their bank balances, but less so for Melissa Schuman, who alleges that Nick Carter raped her in 2003.

The story has largely been ignored by the media, but the Daily Beast decided to try and get to the bottom of it:

Schuman, a recording artist in the pop group Dream turned actress and comedian, first shared her story in a November blog post. In that lengthy testimony, she described her assault as “something that I’ve wanted to pretend never happened since I was 18.”

…“My first impression of him [Carter], he was kind and charismatic so when he asked if I’d like to hang out with him and his friend at his Santa Monica apartment on our off day of shooting, I said yes. I invited my roommate to come with me.”

“My abuser, 22, provided liquor for the get together and asked us what we would like to drink. We all took a shot and proceeded to the living room to play some video games.”

…Later, Schuman [above] said, he led her to the office, where he began to show her some of the music he was working on: “And naturally we started to kiss. He was aware that I was a virgin and that I held to religious conservative Christian values. I was vocal about this. Everyone knew about this, including those who repped me.”

It was at this point that Schuman alleges Carter raped her, despite her continually saying no and making it clear that she was not consenting.

Once the alleged incident had occurred, Schuman was forced to avoid Carter’s calls, but things worsened when she signed a management deal with Kenneth Crear, who also repped Carter:

Crear allegedly asked the boy-bander to sing the duet live with Schuman at a major label showcase; he agreed. “I wasn’t surprised that he did,” she recalled. “He knew this way I couldn’t avoid him anymore. The day of the showcase, he arrived. I waited quietly and anxiously backstage bracing myself for the confrontation. We stood next to each other in awkward silence. He was irritated with my lack of warm welcome and appreciation for the favor [sic] he was doing for me.”

And now for the age-old question that so many ask of the #MeToo movement these days – why didn’t she come forward at the time?

That’s something she addressed in a TV appearance:

She said she came forward after she read about another incident from 2006 involving Carter, and filed charges at the Santa Monica Police Department in February.

The Backstreet Boy issued a strongly worded statement denying any wrongdoing, but the investigation remains ongoing.

Not that you’d know much about it, because the band has been appearing on late night TV shows and racking up live performances without any uncomfortable questions aimed at members.

When Schuman objected to a May appearance by the band on Good Morning America, fans took her to town on Twitter:

We may never know exactly what happened back in 2003, but we do know exactly what happens when a woman comes forward in 2018.

[source:dailybeast]