Mitski issues statement denying “completely false” child sex abuse allegations

“The allegations made on Tumblr of child sex trafficking and abuse against me are completely false in every respect,” she wrote on social media.

August 13, 2019
Mitski issues statement denying “completely false” child sex abuse allegations Mitski performs at FYF Fest 2017. July 22, 2017.   Timothy Norris/Getty Images for FYF

Warning: This post contains descriptions of sexual assault allegations.

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Mitski reactivated her social media accounts on Tuesday morning to issue a statement denying allegations of child sex trafficking and child sexual assault that came from a user on Tumblr. "The allegations made on Tumblr of child sex trafficking and abuse against me are completely false in every respect," the artist wrote. "I don't know the accuser, and I don't know how or why they have come to associate me with their trauma." Read her full statement below:

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The allegations made on Tumblr of child sex trafficking and abuse against me are completely false in every respect. 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.

Prior to Mitski's statement, the Tumblr user who made the allegations privately reached out to freelance music journalist Peyton Thomas via email. In his own Tumblr post, Thomas wrote he believed that the accuser's claims were "a fabrication" based on inconsistencies, misstatements, and false claims in their email.

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Mitski issues statement denying “completely false” child sex abuse allegations