The head of Time’s Up, the star-studded Hollywood initiative to combat workplace sexual misconduct and gender inequality, decided to resign earlier this week because of a sexual misconduct allegation involving her son.
Lisa Borders said Monday that she was stepping down from her role as president and CEO of the organization, citing “family concerns that require my singular focus.”
But late Thursday, following a Los Angeles Times report revealing the misconduct allegation against her son, the organization released a statement clarifying that Borders decided to resign after she “informed members of TIME’S UP leadership that sexual assault allegations had been made against her son in a private forum.”
Celia Gellert, a yoga instructor, first made the allegation against Borders’ son, Garry “Dijon” Bowden Jr., in a Facebook post last week, the LA Times reported. She told the paper that Bowden — who had worked with her on wellness events — “touched her genitalia, kissed her neck and brushed his erect but clothed penis against her body” in January, during what he called a “healing session.”
An attorney for Bowden disputed Gellert’s claims and said Bowden’s behavior was consensual. But Gellert told Bowden in a text message that she felt “uncomfortable and violated,” according to the LA Times.
Borders and the board of Time’s Up met last weekend and “soon recognized that she was in an untenable position,” sources told the LA Times.
Borders, who previously led the WNBA, became the first leader of the Time’s Up organization in October.
In its statement, Time’s Up said it “unequivocally supports all survivors of sexual harassment and abuse” and that “all of our actions were fully guided by our support for survivors.”
Need help? Visit RAINN’s National Sexual Assault Online Hotline or the National Sexual Violence Resource Center’s website.