Megan Thee Stallion will not be silenced.

In a powerful New York Times opinion piece titled "Megan Thee Stallion: Why I Speak Up for Black Women," published on Tuesday (October 13), the 25-year-old entertainer discussed not only her fight to “Protect Black women," but the factors Black women are up against in their fight for equality, touching on everything from racial bias in health care to stereotypes to the male gaze.

Megan additionally opened up about her alleged shooting by Tory Lanez in July, the upcoming election, and her recent Saturday Night Live performance in which she criticized Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron over his handling of a grand jury investigation in the Breonna Taylor case.

"In the weeks leading up to the election, Black women are expected once again to deliver victory for Democratic candidates. We have gone from being unable to vote legally to a highly courted voting bloc — all in little more than a century," she began. "Despite this and despite the way so many have embraced messages about racial justice this year, Black women are still constantly disrespected and disregarded in so many areas of life."

Meg went on to discuss the July shooting, omitting the name of Tory Lanez, who was recently charged in the incident but denies the allegation. "I was recently the victim of an act of violence by a man," she wrote. "After a party, I was shot twice as I walked away from him. We were not in a relationship. Truthfully, I was shocked that I ended up in that place. My initial silence about what happened was out of fear for myself and my friends. Even as a victim, I have been met with skepticism and judgment."

"The way people have publicly questioned and debated whether I played a role in my own violent assault proves that my fears about discussing what happened were, unfortunately, warranted," Megan continued.

The "WAP" rapper then broadened the conversation, writing, "After a lot of self-reflection on that incident, I’ve realized that violence against women is not always connected to being in a relationship. Instead, it happens because too many men treat all women as objects, which helps them to justify inflicting abuse against us when we choose to exercise our own free will. From the moment we begin to navigate the intricacies of adolescence, we feel the weight of this threat, and the weight of contradictory expectations and misguided preconceptions. Many of us begin to put too much value to how we are seen by others. That’s if we are seen at all."

Sonya Blakey

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