Parkway DriveWinston McCall, the frontman of Byron Bay metalcore outfit Parkway Drive, has taken to social media to share a video statement following news of a former associate of the band pleading guilty to a historical child sex offence.
The group as a whole issued a statement over the weekend, condemning the actions of Jed Daniel Gordon, who appeared in Byron Bay Local Court last week, where he pleaded guilty to having sexual intercourse with a minor.
The incident in question is reported to have occurred between November 1st, 2002, and July 11th, 2003. At the time of the incident, Gordon was in his early 20s, while the victim was aged 15.
“We've recently learned that someone we've been associated with has pleaded guilty to an underage sex offence in 2002,” Parkway Drive wrote in their statement, adding, “This is appalling and we condemn it.”
In the new video, which was shared to Instagram on Tuesday, March 24th, McCall confirmed Jed Gordon is the brother of Parkway Drive drummer Ben Gordon, and described Jed’s former role as the band’s “ex-merch guy”.
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"Number one: we support the victim. We support the victim 100%,” McCall said at the start of the video. “She deserves justice, she deserves her space, she deserves her time, she deserves to be heard. We 100% support that. 20 years of trauma, I cannot imagine what that is like to bear.
"Number two: We condemn this. We condemn this without hesitation,” he added. “If there was anything in our initial response that left people wondering about that, I want to make this crystal clear for everyone: this is fucked.
“This is fucked, and this is Jed's reckoning to answer for. It's his reckoning, and he will answer for it. We employed him for a long time, and we put him in a position where he had contact with a lot of people, and it's our moral responsibility to carry. That's our moral responsibility to carry. We see it, we see it, and we hold it.”
As McCall continued, he admitted that the band's attempts to "see the best in people" had left them "blind to the worst," and added that while knowing that Jed "could be bad with people," he conceded there's "no excuse" for the band's inaction, while asserting the band have been "completely blindsided" by the information.
McCall also pointed out that the band's initial statement may have "come across as cold," for which he also apologised. “I also want to say that was never the intent,” he explained.
“We take this situation really, really seriously, and we also recognise that our position in this band… We're a big band, and we also have a connection – a family connection – and we did not want to do anything to jeopardise the justice system, and we wanted to make sure we didn't impede that.”
McCall concluded his video by reaffirming the fact that women need to be safe, heard, seen, and respected, while urging the band’s male fanbase to call out unacceptable behaviour that they witness.
He continued:
This is a society and cultural issue. We need to change it. We as men need to do better. We need to stand up and we need to be better. And I'm not trying to say all men are bad, all men are horrible. I'm not trying to tar everyone with the same brush. I'm just saying this is a community, and communities look inside in these moments, and they take responsibility, and they act, and that's how things get better. We've got to take account.
To the women in this scene, you are so valued. You are so valued and so important. You're so welcome and you're so essential. To the men in this scene, don't stand for bullshit. I know it can be hard to speak up. I know it can be hard. I find it hard to speak up and I've got a microphone in front of everyone.
But we’ve got do it. You’ve got to look at your mates, you’ve got to at your friends, you’ve got to look at your peers, and you’ve got to ask the hard question and you’ve got to speak out. That's how change happens.
As the ABC recently reported, Jed Gordon is due to be sentenced on May 19th, at which time a victim impact statement is also expected to be read to the court.
This article mentions sexual assault, harassment, and abuse. If you or someone you know is affected by these experiences and needs to contact someone, please contact 1800RESPECT on 1800 737 732 or visit 1800RESPECT.org.au.
