Grant “GrandGrant” Harris’ career as a Dota 2 personality, caster, and streamer might be over after shocking sexual harassment allegations have surfaced.
In the past 24 hours, sexual harassment has been a hot topic in the Dota 2 community, and rightfully so. It’s not the first time gaming and important social issues have overlapped, and it won’t be the last.
Several prominent women within the scene have come forward and shared their experiences of being victims of sexual harassment. Their courage opened the door for others to follow, and in a shocking revelation, GrandGrant was named and shamed by two people on different occasions.
The initial accusation came from Twitter user cofactorstrudel. She referred to an incident that happened at a post-event party where GrandGrant, who was drunk and slurring his words, grabbed her hand and wouldn’t let go.
Fuck it. The hand-grabby person was Grant Harris.
He didn't hurt or threaten me (well, he hurt my wrist a little bit not letting go when I pulled). Just made me feel gross and slimy. https://t.co/P7W2LfobMl— 707 in a sun dress hacking police radios coz BLM (@cofactorstrudel) June 22, 2020
The situation made her feel uncomfortable, and the fact that she needed to use all her strength to pry her hand from his grasp is unsettling. GrandGrant immediately reached out to her and apologized for his actions. She accepted the apology, and the situation between them more or less ended amicably. However, it was only the beginning.
Thank you, and thank you for contacting me. I really appreciate it. I consider it water under the bridge and I believe you're sincere when you say you won't act that way again. I think we can all work together to make sure our events are fun and safe for all of our community. https://t.co/uf2pJRmdPs
— 707 in a sun dress hacking police radios coz BLM (@cofactorstrudel) June 22, 2020
A second and more severe accusation surfaced not long after. Anthony “Scant” Hodgson, a former coach and analyst, claimed it wasn’t the first nor the last time GrandGrant made a woman in the scene uncomfortable. In fact, he said GrandGrant “has shown a consistent pattern of behaviour of harassing and degrading women.”
Scant said that LlamaDownUnder, who was once an up-and-coming caster in the scene, was harassed and berated by GrandGrant to the point where she quit. Apparently, she even filed for a restraining order, took him to court, and won the case.
Grant repeatedly harassed Llama to the point where she sought a restraining order. She took him to court, and after several years of protracted legal proceedings, the court found that Grant did indeed harass and defame her. He bullied her, harassed her, and he ended her job.
— Anthony Fish Hodgson (@scantzor) June 22, 2020
What’s more, it appears that other casters knew about it but continued to support GrandGrant. Scant said “many senior talents in the space” supported him, and described them as “gatekeepers” to a boys club. However, he did not mention who they were.
In response to the allegations, Evil Geniuses, the organization who had GrandGrant under contract as a streamer, have released him. They cited a zero-tolerance policy for any kind of harassment and acknowledged the seriousness of the allegations.
Effective immediately, Grant "GranDgranT" Harris has been released and is no longer a member of Evil Geniuses.
We have a zero-tolerance workplace policy, and take any accusation of harassment, or a violation of our policies handbook, seriously.
— THANK YOU MIBR (@EvilGeniuses) June 22, 2020
The accusations have taken social media by storm, and it didn’t take long for GrandGrant to address the issue. Seemingly admitting his guilt, he accepted full responsibility for his actions and issued a public apology.
I just want to apologize to everyone in the Dota Scene, the things I have done in the past really are Just horrible to look back on. I have worked on myself over the last few years , and have tried to better understand people and better understand me.
— Grant Harris (@GranDGranT) June 22, 2020
He described his actions as “horrible to look back on” and acknowledges that although he has worked on himself and tried to become a better person, it doesn’t make up for what he’s done. For that reason, he has decided to stand down and leave the esports scene indefinitely, maybe even permanently.
This could mean the fallen caster’s career has come to a bitter end, but a warranted one. In his own words, it’s not even about him. It’s about making women feel safer within the Dota 2 community, which is the more important issue at hand.
ill be Leaving Dota and the Esports Scene For A long time if not permanent. I dont want to make this about me though, I want to Say, I hope the people who dont feel safe do feel safer, and I hope Dota becomes an overall better esport over the upcoming years.
— Grant Harris (@GranDGranT) June 22, 2020
Hopefully, this situation raises more awareness about the harassment (sexual or otherwise) women experience in the professional gaming and esports world and sets a much-needed zero-tolerance precedent.
Nobody deserves to be harassed and made to feel uncomfortable, regardless of whether it’s a forceful hand-grab or being constantly berated and driven out of the scene entirely. This kind of behaviour is unacceptable and needs to be stamped out once and for all.
Update (June 23, 2020): More allegations have surfaced, and one of them is particularly disturbing. Cat “Wicked” Revell, a well-known cosplayer, recounts a horrendous experience her friend went through which involved being potentially drugged and sexually assaulted by GrandGrant. The full post can be found here.
