Content Warning: This article discusses sexual assault. If you or someone you know are affected by the following story, you are not alone. To speak to someone, you can call Lifeline on 13 11 14, or 1800 RESPECT on 1800 737 732.
US indie-rock musician Mitski has taken to social media to dismiss claims of child sex abuse made against her, noting that the allegations are “completely false”.
On Tuesday, freelance journalist and Pitchfork contributor Peyton Thomas shared a Tumblr post reporting that he had been contacted by an individual who claimed they had been “sexually abused by Mitski for years while underage”.
After Thomas requested more information about the allegations, the individual reportedly provided details which featured numerous discrepancies and factual inaccuracies.
“I am going to say this as clearly and unambiguously as I can,” Thomas wrote. “I have extensively fact-checked this person’s claims and I have spoken to Mitski’s manager about the claims. It is now very clear to me that this story is a fabrication.”
According to Peyton Thomas’ breakdown of the allegations, the details shared by the individual offered no corroborating evidence to the claims or that they had even met Mitski, while they alleged the abuse in question occurred at an 18+ concert in 2015 when they were supposedly 14 years old.
Similarly, these claims were reportedly refuted by Greg Rutkin, a musician who performed alongside Mitski at the concert in question, who wrote on Twitter that he was with the artist all night.
Read Mitski’s Twitter post below:
— mitski (@mitskileaks) August 13, 2019
Overnight, Mitski made her return to social media for the first time in two months, emerging to share a post in which she vehemently denied all the allegations that had been made against her.
“The allegations made on Tumblr of child sex trafficking and abuse against me are completely false in every respect.”
Mitski continues:
“I don’t know the accuser, and I don’t know how or why they have come to associate me with their trauma. I have not ever been part of sex trafficking or child abuse in any form.
“I initially did not acknowledge the allegations because I feared bringing harm to a person who may be struggling with mental health, either by drawing further attention to them, or by involving myself and thereby giving reality to their claims. I hope those of you on the internet treat them with kindness and compassion, and I truly hope they find the help they need. But it became clear that I need to address this after learning from a child sex trafficking survivor that, because of these false and conflicting accounts, incredibly harmful misinformation about the reality of child sex trafficking is being propagated, and existing survivors are being triggered and re-traumatized by the continued and confusing discourse, which I am hoping to bring an end to by responding here.
“I am also motivated to make this statement because my family has somehow been falsely accused of being involved alongside me, and for their sake I need to make absolutely clear these accusations are false; they do not deserve any of this. Again, the allegations are not true, there is clear and overwhelming evidence that they are unfounded, that is easily corroborated many times over.
“This pains me to say because we should continue to practice believing in victims, and I hope that survivors our there are not discouraged to come forward with their own experiences because of this instance.
“Thank you, Mitski.”
These posts served at the first from Mitski since June, where she announced that her “last show indefinitely” will take place in September.
“I’m not quitting music,” she later added. “Me? Quit music?? I’ve been on non-stop tour for over 5years, I haven’t had a place to live during this time, & I sense that if I don’t step away soon, my self-worth/identity will start depending too much on staying in the game, in the constant churn.”
Check out ‘Nobody’ by Mitski:
