News : MEGAN THEE STALLION TALKS PROTECTING BLACK WOMEN, SHOOTING IN NEW YORK TIMES OP-ED

Following a triumphant return to the Billboard charts and notable performances on Saturday Night Live, Megan Thee Stallion wrote an op-ed for the New York Times.

Titled “Why I Speak Up for Black Women,” the musician opened up about her shooting (the alleged culprit, Tory Lanez, had his first court hearing today. More on that later).

“I was recently the victim of an act of violence by a man,” she writes. “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.

“My initial silence about what happened was out of fear for myself and my friends. Even as a victim, I have been met with skepticism and judgment. The way people have publicly questioned and debated whether I played a role in my own violent assault proves that my fears about discussing what happened were, unfortunately, warranted.

“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. 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,” she ends.

Throughout the op-ed she speaks on her decision to call out Kentucky’s attorney general, Daniel Cameron, during her SNL set, the historical strides Black women have made in the face of adversity, and just existing as a Black woman in this world in general.

The entire article can be read here.

The article arrives that day Tory Lanez had his first hearing (October 13) after being formally charged with with one felony count each of assault with a semiautomatic firearm — personal use of a firearm — and carrying a loaded, unregistered firearm in a vehicle, Alongside a raised bail Tory was ordered to stay at least 100 yards away from Megan, is forbidden from having “no personal, electronic, telephonic or written contact,” and can’t obtain any firearms or ammunition and must sell or surrender any guns he may possess now.