‘Vilification’ of Amber Heard condemned by feminist groups: ‘Mocked for entertainment’

Amber Heard received support from feminist groups months after she lost the bombshell defamation case against her ex-husband Johnny Depp.

Political activist Gloria Steinem and Academy Award nominated filmmaker Amy Ziering were among those who denounced the “public shaming” of the Aquaman star via an open letter.

The letter addressed to Heard was also signed by feminist organizations including National Organization for Women, the National Women’s Law Center, and the Women’s March Foundation.

It states that the actor was “mocked for entertainment” in the wake of the libel case which was fuelled by a “monetized social media environment.”

“Five months ago, the verdict in the defamation trial between Johnny Depp and Amber Heard deeply concerned many professionals in the fields of intimate partner and sexual violence,” the letter read.

“The vilification of Ms. Heard and ongoing online harassment of her and those who have voiced support for her have been unprecedented in both vitriol and scale.

“Much of this harassment was fueled by disinformation, misogyny, biphobia, and a monetized social media environment where a woman’s allegations of domestic violence and sexual assault were mocked for entertainment.

“The same disinformation and victim-blaming tropes are now being used against others who have alleged abuse,” the note added.

“In our opinion, the Depp v. Heard verdict and continued discourse around it indicate a fundamental misunderstanding of intimate partner and sexual violence and how survivors respond to it.

“We have grave concerns about the rising misuse of defamation suits to threaten and silence survivors,” they penned. “We condemn the public shaming of Amber Heard.”

The letter was posted on an Instagram account titled “Open Letter for Amber Heard” which had another post that revealed that the note “has been signed by over 130 experts and organizations in the fields of intimate partner violence and sexual violence.”