They are now left to reconcile Trinity’s decision to invite him.Īfter the controversy at GW, Action Bronson promised not to perform his infamous song “Consensual Rape.” He currently has a stipulation in his contract with Trinity that states he can’t perform that specific song here either. The choice to have him headline alone has already caused survivors to feel sickened after looking up his music videos and lyrics. We would like to believe this is not true, but the evidence points to the contrary. Action Bronson being chosen as the headliner for our largest concert makes it seem like the college doesn’t care about survivors. To have an event where fellow classmates are celebrating a man who has built his rap career on hatred and violence against women is a slap in the face to the students on campus who have dealt with these issues firsthand. It is allocated a budget of tens of thousands of dollars.Īllowing Action Bronson to perform at Spring Weekend would create a psychologically harmful and drastically unsafe space for women, LGBTQIA+ students, and survivors of sexual assault. Ideally, the Spring Weekend Concert is meant to be a part of every Trinity student’s college experience. Trinity also has the 3rd highest rate of reported sexual assaults in the nation, according to the US Department of Education. (Stats from National Sexual Violence Resource Center, citing the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention).īefore listing all the reasons why we should disinvite Bronson, here is some sobering information about Trinity and Spring Weekend: Trinity College is ranked the 17th most homophobic college in the nation by the Princeton Review as of 2014. The ideas Action Bronson promotes are not jokes - they are real concerns. We are on a campus that is rated third highest in reported sexual assaults. The message we to present to students should not contribute to a campus culture of violence against women. Our choices of which artists perform speak to the values that our campus promotes. This claim means absolutely nothing in a country where 1 in 5 women are victims of rape or attempted rape at some point in their lives and over 40% of women experience sexual violence other than rape. We recognize that people may argue that his lyrics are obviously too violent or too absurd to be taken seriously. Also, just because he claims it’s a character and not himself abusing women, doesn’t mean he’s not still rapping about abusing women. Creating a character for a music video who endorses killing women is distinct from simply rapping about violence. His videos remain online without a hint of apology in the descriptions. His songs are still streamed, performed, and promoted. While Action has apologized to GWU for his promotion of violence against women, it is more important to recognize that he blamed GWU students for misinterpreting his work while continuing to promote the same culture of violence that he purports to disavow. However, we think it would be better for Trinity students, and the institution's reputation, for the concert to be cancelled regardless. We fully recognize that we will not receive a refund and that we are contractually bound to pay Action Bronson. This is why Trinity should follow the lead of Toronto’s North by Northeast (NXNE) Festival and George Washington University’s Spring Fling by disinviting Action Bronson. We believe that Action Bronson headlining Spring Weekend is an endorsement of violence, specifically against women and minorities. We are disappointed in their judgement, lack of research, and blatant disregard for the well-being of survivors of sexual assault on campus. We are disappointed in the decision by Barnyard, the student group in charge of arranging Spring Weekend, to bring Action Bronson to our campus. Trinity students should expect their college, and by extension the student groups they sponsor, to use our tuition in a way that makes the campus safe, welcoming, and enjoyable for as many people as possible.