16 hours ago
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Following an investigation published by the Roys Report accusing popular Christian rock singer Michael Tait of a decades-long pattern of grooming and sexual assault, Paramore singer Hayley Williams has called for a larger reckoning in the Contemporary Christian music (CCM) industry.
Based on interviews with more than 50 sources, the initial report detailed accusations from three victims against the DC Talk co-founder and former Newsboys member. It was followed by a separate investigation in The Guardian, which prompted Williams’ fiery response.
Williams, who grew up in the Christian music world, shared her passionate feelings about the industry allegedly enabling Tait’s behavior in a statement posted to her Instagram Story. “no one but the tiktoker who broke this story has said a word about michael tait needing gay affirming support,” she wrote, preserving her original lowercase style.
“this is a man [whose] entire faith identity is built upon a faulty structure of self-hatred, to please a system that would rather cover up abhorrent behavior for 20+ years (and make money off of it) rather than accept that being gay is not the problem,” she continued. “how many stories like this from this VERY small corner of the music industry will we hear before we realize that capitalizing on people’s faith and vulnerability is the ‘sin.’ i hope the ccm industry crumbles.”
Concluding her statement, Williams directly addressed those who may have known about Tait’s alleged behavior: “fuck all of you who knew and didnt do a damn thing. i bet ive got your number. and btw if youre not angry too then maybe its time to question why.”
To Williams’ point about complicity, The Guardian piece was based on interviews with 25 people in the Christian music industry, “most of whom say they had prior knowledge of allegations that Tait had engaged in abusive behavior.”
For his part, Tait shared a statement on Instagram earlier this week addressing the allegations. He admitted to cocaine and alcohol abuse, as well as “touch[ing] men in an unwanted sensual way… I don’t blame anyone or anything but myself. While I might dispute certain details in the accusations against me, I do not dispute the substance of them.”
If you or someone you know has been impacted by sexual misconduct, you can reach out for support:
RAINN Hotline
1-800-656-HOPE (4673)
http://www.rainn.org
Crisis Text Line
SMS: Text “HERE” to 741-741
http://www.facebook.com/crisistextline (chat support)
English (US) · 