Several women accuse Twitch streamer SayNoToRage of sexual harrasment

Twitch streamer SayNoToRage, a prominent Destiny 2 streamer, has been accused of making uncomfortable sexual advances and inappropriately touching a number of women who have taken to Twitter to out his behaviour.

The first person to come out with the accusations is a fellow Twitch streamer, Jewels Verne. She mentioned a brief encounter where SayNoToRage was touching her inappropriately.

"I just wanted to play TLOU(The Last of Us) and now all I can think about is the time I played an entire card game with a notable streamer's hand on my thigh the whole time and was then basically asked for sex oh and it was Lono so there you all go," she tweeted out. In a follow-up comment, Jewels would assert this took place in 2017.

After the accusation went viral, numerous people came forward with their own stories regarding SayNoToRage. The one that gathered most attention came from Snaps, another important Destiny 2 community member. 

(Picture: Snaps)

In a lengthy Medium post, she recounted how with increasingly uncomfortable advances (invading her personal space more than a few times), Lono (SayNoToRage) stepped out of boundaries, to a point where he started rubbing his pants during a bus trip the both were taking.

What follows is an excerpt from an email Snaps sent to Lono explaining how she didn't want any contact with him for the foreseeable future.

"You started rubbing up and down on your pant legs with both arms, and sort of fidgeting/stretching out in your chair. You told me: 'Sorry, I get really liberated when I’m high or drunk.' I responded and said: 'I don’t even know what that means, but ok man, have a fun night.' 

You repeated yourself: 'Yeah I’m just letting you know that I get really, like, awakened.' I once again responded dismissively, trying to make it clear I had no interest in wherever this conversation was going.

You leaned in, 'Yeah it’s just that when I get high or drunk I get really liberated…sexually…'

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I immediately leaned away from you even further and said, 'Ok, whatever, I don’t need to hear about that, I don’t care about that, it’s not my business, feel whatever feelings you’re feeling but keep me out of it.'

You responded with 'I’m just letting you know ahead of time because…' and I cut you off and said again “No, I don’t care. You don’t need to let me know, keep it to yourself.'"

Snaps retold another occasion where Lono, without any provocation, reached out for her waist, almost near her breasts, during a party where her boyfriend was present.

"Because it was so close, I thought it was my boyfriend at first until I looked down and noticed your arms. You had come up behind me and completely wrapped yourself around me, then put your head on my shoulder super close to my face. I remember very forcefully removing your arms from around me and stepping aside and saying Woah, no. It made me incredibly uncomfortable."
 
The credible allegations reached the ears of Bungie's team. As a big Destiny 2 streamer, SayNoToRage had worked closely with the studio in the past. That will no longer be the case.

“Proud of the brave women in the community coming forward. This was their story to tell and it's our job to listen. Bungie hasn't worked with Lono in a long time and won't ever again," Bungie's community manager Cozmo confirmed.

Lono himself addressed the situation in a now-deleted video where he would blame his actions on a troublesome past that includes getting raped by his then-girlfriend when he was 16 years old.

The streamer made a video explaining the situation (Picture: @SayNotToRage)

"It needs to be clearly stated, I am deeply sorry to anyone hurt or made uncomfortable by my behaviour. I hope in time, people can see that I was not trying to hurt anyone," he began reading from a written statement accompanied by his wife.

Lono continued explaining that he "was a damaged person" driven to a self-destructive lifestyle thanks to his teenage trauma.

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"I'm not trying to excuse my behaviour, it is an attempt to show I was not a predator, but a damaged person in need of help. At the age of 16, I was raped by my girlfriend. This led to months of sexual, verbal, and mental abuse, and because I was raised in a Christian home, I felt I had to keep it a secret."

Claiming therapy has helped him regain a stronger sense of sanity, Lono believes the "recollection of events was just friends joking around," adding: "Sex jokes are very common in these environments."

As the story develops it remains to be seen if SayNoToRage will face more consequences for his actions.