Megan Thee Stallion has spoken out about being a victim of gun violence.
In an op-ed published Tuesday by The New York Times, the rapper shared her side of what happened when she was shot in July.
“I was recently the victim of an act of violence by a man,” she shared. “After a party, I was shot twice as I walked away from him. We were not in a relationship. Truthfully, I was shocked that I ended up in that place.”
The rapper was allegedly shot by fellow performer Tory Lanez following a dispute in the Hollywood Hills. In the article, Megan referenced violence against women.
“After a lot of self-reflection on that incident, I’ve realized that violence against women is not always connected to being in a relationship,” she said. “Instead, it happens because too many men treat all women as objects, which helps them to justify inflicting abuse against us when we choose to exercise our own free will.”
Related Story: Tory Lanez Charged With Shooting Megan Thee Stallion
The rapper vowed to use the incident to continue to speak up for Black women who are victims of violence and to keep using her platform to lift others up. She said that’s one of the reasons she spoke out on Saturday Night Live about Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron and his role in the Breonna Taylor case.
In the NYT article, she urged readers to vote in the upcoming election, and acknowledged that for Black women the fight for equality is far from over.
“We know that after the last ballot is cast and the vote is tallied, we are likely to go back to fighting for ourselves,” she said.
The op-ed was published shortly before Lanez made his first court appearance Tuesday in Los Angeles. He was released on $190,000 bail and ordered to stay at least 100 yards away from Megan Thee Stallion.
