BØRNS ACL removal following sexual misconduct allegations justified

B%C3%98RNS+performed+at+Weekend+One+but+was+pulled+from+Weekend+Two

Courtesy of Creative Commons

BØRNS performed at Weekend One but was pulled from Weekend Two

BØRNS’ fans were troubled after they found out that their favorite band wasn’t going to perform at ACL Fest. Many fans were saying that it wasn’t fair that Weekend One goers got to see BØRNS and that being removed from the lineup because of allegations made on Twitter is ridiculous.

While I do understand why fans were upset that they couldn’t see their favorite artist perform at the festival, I am not upset at ACL for removing BØRNS from the Weekend Two lineup. There were still many other wonderful artists performing that hadn’t been accused of sexual misconduct or grooming underaged girls.

ACL cancelled BØRNS’ show because of the multiple sexual allegations circulating through social media. One allegation was made by Twitter user @kaliforxnia on Sept. 21. Nia posted a statement on Twitter in which she called the lead singer of BØRNS, Garrett Clark BØRNS, a “manipulative user.”

Nia said she met BØRNS at a concert in 2015, and that they became friends shortly after. Months after their initial meeting, BØRNS invited Nia to get drinks but they ended up at his house, where he encouraged her to become drunk and took advantage of her. Nia wrote that she blames herself because she didn’t say no, even though she was intoxicated.

Nia recounted a subsequent incident in which BØRNS had unprotected sex with her, even after she stated that she was uncomfortable with the idea and was not taking birth control.

Another woman with the twitter username @alyssaadaniele came forward shortly after.

Alyssa said she met BØRNS at a music festival when she was only 16 years old. He invited her to his hotel room and he began to touch her inappropriately knowing she wasn’t of age. Despite this, Alyssa kept contact with him over text and social media.

BØRNS would send Alyssa inappropriate messages that made her feel uncomfortable. He asked her for pictures and videos that fed into his fetishes, and she sent them to him. When Alyssa turned 18, they had consensual sex in his hotel room in Los Angeles. She said that while it was consensual, it hurt and she didn’t feel safe.

There is a Twitter account @exposing_borns that has different claims on it as well.

While these allegations haven’t been, and probably won’t ever be confirmed, I still applaud ACL’s choice to drop BØRNS from the Weekend Two lineup. BØRNS didn’t necessarily rape anyone, but this still doesn’t make the interactions between him and his fans okay.

He groomed these women in order to get what he wanted from them. These allegations were only on Twitter, but they are still completely valid. It’s scary to stand up against your abuser, and it’s even scarier to stand up against a person in a place of such power like BØRNS.

The entertainment industry should follow in ACL’s footsteps and stop separating the art and the artist. There are plenty of artists without allegations made against them that deserve your attention.

Here’s a list of artists that are similar to BØRNS that haven’t been accused of anything problematic: Lorde, Declan McKenna, Sky Ferreira, MUNA, Bleachers, The Japanese House, Hippo Campus, Broods, The Aces, flor.

Here’s a link to a playlist featuring all of these artists.

Supporting BØRNS’ music is supporting his problematic lifestyle. By continuing to support his music, you are telling him that what he has done is okay. You are letting all artists everywhere know that their actions will not impact their sales, and this is where their power comes from.