Dark Divine has released a detailed public statement addressing allegations of a hostile work environment and anti-LGBTQ+ conduct, as reported via their official account on X (Twitter). The statement comes amid growing pressure from Motionless in White fans demanding that Dark Divine be removed from the band’s recently announced U.S. tour.
The statement addressed two primary allegations: claims that the band failed to properly compensate crew members, and that they fostered an environment unsafe for LGBTQ+ individuals. Dark Divine firmly denied both, offering detailed explanations for each.
“Dark Divine has always and will always be a space for the LGBTQ+ community and for our crew to feel safe and respected,” the band said. “That is something that we stand by and always want to maintain. There are multiple narratives being formed from individual conflicts that existed in past years trying to portray us as a band who is not only harmful to members of the LGBTQ+ community, but also a band who abuses and doesn’t pay our crew.”
On the matter of crew payments, the band was direct in their defense.
“Firstly, we always keep invoices and receipts for each crew member and commission,” they continued. “Payouts are determined by the rate they’ve set and are always paid in full. We always keep records so that we can reference them if ever a payment doesn’t go through. We have always made sure everyone gets what they’re owed for the work we have commissioned.”
Regarding the abuse allegations, the band acknowledged a specific incident involving a former sound engineer during a 2024 tour.
“As far as any claims of abuse are concerned, we have always and will always want our crew to work in a safe environment that they want to return to,” they said. “There was a situation in 2024 where a now ex-sound engineer at the time was hired to run sound for not only us, but for every other opening band on the tour. He would become drunk often and verbally abusive [to] members of our camp, including us in the band. There were constant conflicts that would arise that we do agree should’ve absolutely been handled with more care.”
The band acknowledged shortcomings in how the situation was handled. They also explained the reasoning behind their decisions at the time.
“We had never dealt with a situation like that before and did our best to navigate a complicated situation,” they continued. “There was much learning to be done in real time and we wish we had handled it better. The individual who expressed that she didn’t feel safe around said sound engineer was eventually sent home in a way that seemed amicable and agreeable to her at the time. The only reason the sound engineer wasn’t sent home instead was because he had also been running sound for all other opening bands throughout that tour. He has never been hired since and we have never had a situation like that since.”
Turning to the LGBTQ+ allegations specifically, the band expressed shock at the characterizations being made against them.
“As for the narrative that we are harmful to the LGBTQ+ community, you are speaking for a large portion of our fanbase for whom we care about deeply and proudly celebrate,” they said. “Our fans have always existed within the LGBTQ+ community since the beginning and we were honestly shocked to see words like ‘homophobic’ and ‘unsafe for people in the LGBTQ+ community’ being used as this goes against the core values of acceptance that this band has always believed in. Discrimination and hate has never had a place in this band or fanbase.”
The band closed their statement with a commitment to continued growth and accountability.
“We have always tried to be a haven for those who wished to find a sense of family and acceptance,” they concluded. “We have taken action in the past to remove members of the band and crew who have not maintained our ethical standards. We love and respect our fans, our crew, and the artists that help to bring Dark Divine’s vision to life. We are committed to always being in a constant state of learning, improving, and growing as individuals who always want to be doing better.”
It remains to be seen whether the statement will satisfy Motionless in White fans calling for Dark Divine’s removal from the upcoming tour.
