Megan Thee Stallion addresses Tory Lanez shooting for "the final time" in a crucial personal essay

With a moving and decisive new personal essay for Elle, Megan Thee Stallion is speaking on the Tory Lanez shooting trial for the final time. Emphasizing that she views herself as a “survivor,” not a “victim,” the rapper details how she persevered in the wake of trauma and intense backlash, finding peace and healing while remaining a stalwart advocate for survivors of violence at every step of the way.

In December 2022, a Los Angeles jury found Lanez, a.k.a Daystar Peterson, guilty of three charges: assault with a semiautomatic firearm; possession of a concealed, unregistered firearm; and negligent discharge of a firearm. All three counts stemmed from a July 2020 incident, wherein Peterson shot Megan Thee Stallion—a.k.a. Megan Pete—in both feet.

In the two and a half years leading up to the verdict, Pete faced a barrage of derision and mistrust made manifest through online bullying, conspiracy theories, and classless jokes, some coming from her music industry peers. “Instead of condemning any form of violence against a woman, these individuals tried to justify my attacker’s actions,” Pete recalls.

The mass ire Pete faced served as a brutal simulacrum of the way women’s stories of abuse are mistrusted, warped, and even blamed on them, in attempts to both strip away their agency and discredit their character. Pete addresses this candidly in the essay and emphasizes that for Black women, the prevalence and pervasiveness of that treatment is only heightened.

“So many times, people looked at me and thought, ‘You look strong. You’re outspoken. You’re tall. You don’t look like somebody who needs to be saved,’” Pete writes. “They assumed that, per preconceived stigmas, ‘I didn’t fit the profile of a victim,’ and that I didn’t need support or protection.”

Although Pete’s strength during this ordeal rings out in every word, she’s also vulnerable about the moments when she didn’t feel like the confident boss every Megan Thee Stallion fan is dearly acquainted with.

“I was in such a low place that I didn’t even know what I wanted to rap about. I wondered if people even cared anymore,” Pete recalls. “There would be times that I’d literally be backstage or in my hotel, crying my eyes out, and then I’d have to pull Megan Pete together and be Megan Thee Stallion.”

But when the jury finally handed down a guilty verdict— after a trial where Pete herself took the stand— the rapper felt both vindicated and a part of something much bigger. Pete writes that the verdict was “a victory for every woman who has ever been shamed, dismissed, and blamed for a violent crime committed against them.”

In the wake of that victory, Pete has been focusing on her own healing and mental health in countless ways: journaling, praying, fostering a deep friendship with her cousin, spending time with trusted loved ones, and ultimately, choosing to “change the narrative because I’m more than just my trauma.” She then offers a message to anyone who has survived violence in their life.

“Please know your feelings are valid. You matter. You are not at fault,” Pete writes. “You are important. You are loved. You are not defined by your trauma. You can continue to write beautiful, new chapters to your life story. Just because you are in a bad situation doesn’t mean you are a bad person. Our value doesn’t come from the opinions of other people. As long as you stand your ground and live in your truth, nobody can take your power.”

Megan Thee Stallion’s piece can, and should, be read in full here.