The latest ongoing celebrity rape/sexual assault/sexual harassment news story broke this evening that Dream lead singer Melissa Schuman accused Backstreet Boys member Nick Carter of rape.
Princess Weekes at The Mary Sue:
At the time of the alleged event, Schuman was 18 years old and Carter was 22. Carter lured her into a room saying that he was going to share with some new music, and he gave her alcohol. Schuman went because of course, this was Nick Carter, a member of one of the biggest boy groups of all time. However, she did not want to have sex with him—she was virgin and vocal about that.
Carter then proceeded to forcibly perform oral sex on Schuman and then force her to do the same to him. He then raped her, even when Schuman said no, because she was saving herself for marriage. Carter didn’t care, and when Schuman woke up the next morning, she left and didn’t say anything, hoping that she’d never have to deal with him again. Schuman admits that she tried to tell her manager at the time but he advised her against speaking about it.
[...]
Schuman came forward in order to tell this other woman that she believed her, and to be heard by those who would so easily dismiss the claim because there is no name attached to it. Melissa Schuman was willing to put her name out there for the first time, because of the voices that have been speaking out as of late. That is a powerful thing, and I can only hope that this act, like all the other statements that have been released by victims, tells women that they are not alone.
Melissa Schuman, an actress and singer best known for the all-girl teen band Dream, claimed Tuesday that Nick Carter raped her in 2002.
In a lengthy post on her personal blog, Schuman, now 33, said she first interacted with the Backstreet Boys singer when their reps suggested they date.
I am about to share something that I’ve wanted to pretend never happened since I was 18. A burden I thought I’d have to carry for the rest of my life and suffer in silence.
For those who do read this story, I know will ask, like any other victim of rape or assault, why I never came forward earlier. And the truth is, I tried.
A short amount of time passed after the incident, I confided in my then manager, Nils Larsen, that I wanted to come forward. He heard me out and said he would do some investigation and would try to find me a good attorney as I intended to press charges.
He later informed me that my abuser, who’s name I will disclose later in this article, had the most powerful litigator in the country.
He was right. I didn’t have the money, the clout or access to an attorney who was powerful enough to stand up against my abuser’s legal counsel. I was told I would likely be buried in humiliation, accused of being fame hungry, and it would ultimately hurt me professionally as well as publicly.
I was focused on building a career and name for myself at the time and I didn’t want what he did to further affect my life and future.
In the early 2000’s, both bands were regulars on TRL and on MTV’s rotation.
Backstreet Boys had a nasty rivalry with *NYSNC on the countdown during the show’s peak, and continues to this day among the fanbases. Dream, on the other hand, faded from public prominence by 2003 (but did briefly reunite in 2016 and have since broken up again). But they’ll still always have the #2-peaking hit called He Loves U Not.
Growing up during the early 2000s where I was obsessed with TRL, I was a fan of both Dream and BSB. Nowadays, Dream’s He Loves U Not is still fondly liked by me, whereas the likes of BSB and their ilk later gave way to alternative/rock music (which became my main favorite music genre, and still is to this day).
As for the story that broke, I believe Schuman 100% and stand with her. #IStandWithMelissaSchuman
Dream
”He Loves U Not”
It Was All A Dream (2000)