Lzzy Hale condemns accused in alleged Cornell gang-rape case

Halestorm singer Lzzy Hale has condemned the men accused in the alleged “Cornell 7” gang-rape case and called for them to be punished, in an Instagram post published on Wednesday, Sept. 30. Billboard reported the full wording of the post on Friday, Oct. 2.

She addressed her words directly to men who commit sexual violence. “If you are the kind of man who thinks it’s ok to reduce another human being to nothing more than something you can stick your d–k into … there is something severely wrong with you,” Hale wrote.

She rejected any suggestion that an accused man should be shielded because of his future. “You are not a ‘promising young man,’ you are a sick monster that needs to be punished and prevented from having contact with other humans,” she wrote.

Hale also criticised men who witness an assault and stay silent. She wrote that a man who stands idly by during a rape, even if he only saw it in a group chat, and chooses to say and do nothing is not “the good guy.” She described that failure to act as making the bystander an accessory to sexual assault who should be brought to justice.

She extended the same criticism to authority figures. Hale wrote that people in power who “do nothing, take their side, or let them off with a f–king ‘writing assignment,’ you should be stripped of your power and privilege of walking among us.”

The post was widely covered in music media on Oct. 1. Loudwire described it as a statement on the ongoing “Cornell 7” rape case, while Metal Injection reported her condemnation of those involved in the alleged gang rape.

Yahoo reported the statement as prosecutors in New York state reopen investigations. The underlying matter has been described as a lawsuit, and the claims at its centre remain allegations that have not been decided in court.

Hale, a member of the band Halestorm, published the remarks on her own Instagram account. Billboard’s Oct. 2 report provides the fullest public record of the wording.