Celebrity Clifford “T.I.” and his wife, Tameka “Tiny” Harris, have denied allegations of sexual abuse after messages from over two dozen alleged survivors were posted by fellow-survivor Sabrina Peterson last week. The women who came forward claimed that the couple, T.I. and Tiny coerced them into taking drugs, undressing, and partaking in sexual activities with them—or others— while they watched. Many of the alleged victims expressed that they were unconscious during their time with T.I. and Tiny and were unable to remember the events.
As troublesome as these allegations are, they are not the only controversy surrounding the celebrity. On numerous occasions, T.I. revealed concerning opinions that brought to question his parenting abilities, specifically surrounding his daughters’ sexuality, which hinted at his role in perpetuating a culture of sexual assault.
In December, T.I. spoke with rapper 21 Savage for an episode of his ExpediTIously podcast. During the conversation, 21 Savage mentioned that he tends to feel more overprotective of his daughters than his sons, a sentiment with which T.I. agreed.
“Because sons can’t get pregnant,” T.I began. “You can’t keep her from running into one of them n*ggas. Me and Lil Duval call it thot prevention hours. Keep your daughter off the pole.”
According to studies, sexual perpetrators against women often fit into distinguishable profiles that include substance abuse, strong alignment with male stereotypes and poor opinions of women. Unfortunately, these characteristics can continue over into the home and negatively affect parenting abilities.
T.I. has proven on several occasions that his views on parenthood, womanhood, and sexuality are severely jaded. Only a year before his “thot prevention hours” comment, he revealed that he accompanies his daughter to the gynecologist annually to ensure that her hymen was still intact as a means of monitoring her sexual activity. Consequently, his most recent statement came as a shock to few.
It did, however, reveal the blatant double standards regarding sexuality in T.I.’s household. While he considers his flagrant behavior to be appropriate, his daughters have been subjected to severe scrutiny over any sexual activity.
Although present as a father, the environment he created in his home is inappropriate, stifling, and damaging to his daughters’ well being. Under the guise of a strict yet concerned parenting style, T.I. has violated his daughters’ privacy on several occasions. And, while his sons were not subjected to the same treatment, they certainly watched, and through their father’s actions, learned to believe that this type of behavior was acceptable.
Tiny, on the other hand, is no better. As a bystander, saying nothing made her an enabler. Through her silence, she proved to be a poor role model for all of her children as she allowed for manipulation and coercion of her daughters.
T.I.’s language surrounding his daughters should have been an indication that something was amiss. The degree of overprotection T.I. displayed revealed his apprehensions concerning his daughters’ sexuality, as he understood too well the behavior and experiences he taught them to fear. T.I. and Tiny have surely caused severe (potentially irreversible) damage to their children’s development and health and their celebrity status should not warrant exemption from criticism. If the allegations prove true, T.I. and Tiny are both abusers. They are not the standard of what healthy parenting should be. In fact, they should serve as a warning: when parents speak in abusive ways about their children, it should serve as an indication of their own behavior towards others.
