Lindsay Ell Advocates for Sexual Assault Victims

Lindsay Ell is setting the record straight. The “Can’t Do Without Me” singer turned to social media late Thursday evening (June 1) to address an article that was published earlier this week by a Nashville-based publication. 

During the interview, Ell spoke out about the allegations against labelmate Jimmie Allen. Ell mentioned that the interview was not centered around the lawsuit, but the music community and the measures they take to protect members from sexual harassment and abuse. 

“I’m sure a lot of you saw the article that popped up overnight of the interview I did with Taste of Country last week,” Ell said in an Instagram video. “Although everything in this article is true and are things that I did say, I would like to make clear that this whole article was about one minute of our thirty-minute interview. An interview that was pitched to my team would focus on women survivors instead of their attackers.” 

Within the piece, Ell expressed that she was surprised to learn about the allegations against Allen. The platinum-selling artist is being sued for assault, sexual battery, false imprisonment, sex trafficking, and emotional distress. In early May, Variety issued a report involving Allen’s day-to-day manager, a woman identified in the case as Jane Doe.  

Ell previously stressed that she stands with Jane Doe as a two-time survivor of sexual assault herself.  “I think this is why it is so scary for survivors to come forward or for anybody to talk about sexual assault because quite often their words are just clickbait and try to give attention to the wrong people,” she admitted. “I fully support Jane Doe. I just wish that this article would have also highlighted all the things we talked about that the industry is doing to help with sexual assault and make work environments feel safer, and prevent this from happening further.

The songstress began to rattle off organizations that are tirelessly trying to make the country genre a safe space for all.  “Like the Safe Tracks Program, which is an incredible program, and this article didn’t even mention that part of our conversation,” she declared. “I want to champion survivors, and I want to show that everything I’m doing outside of music is helping survivors come together for change —not shining a light on people who are ruining it.”  

She continued, “So, I just wanted to stand up for myself and for other survivors out there or for anyone standing up for what they believe in. Or for people who feel scared about coming forward and talking about their experiences because of things like this.” 

Within the lengthy caption, the resilient vocalist shared a handful of helpful resources that single-handedly shifted the conversation around sexual assault and benefited victims. 

Nashville’s Sexual Assault Center has pledged to help children, adults, and families affected by sexual assault and violence heal. Not only does the nonprofit aim to educate individuals, but its clinic also provides free medical-legal exams for anyone 16 or over. The evaluations will help collect evidence and test for sexually transmitted infections or pregnancy. 

The advocate shared that the organization and CMA will be joining forces with Safe Tracks, a prevention and bystander intervention training program for the music industry. The group has trained over 80 people to date to help in the genre. 

For survivors outside of Nashville struggling, Ell hopes they see help with RAINN. The not-for-profit is the largest National Sexual Assault Hotline in the United States. They have programs to aid survivors and ensure “perpetrators are brought to justice.” 

For anyone affected by sexual assault, whether it happened to you or someone you care about, call 800.656.HOPE( 4673) to be connected with someone over the phone. 

Photo by Robby Klein / Stunt Company Media Inc.