The Punk-Rock Predator
Anti-Flag suddenly broke up after frontman Justin Sane was accused of rape. Twelve more women have accused the singer of predatory behavior, sexual assault, and statutory rape
From there, it goes exactly where you think. Including several things like,IF THERE WAS one punk group that positioned itself as a leader of a movement for inclusivity, radical change, and allyship in the early 2000s, it was Anti-Flag.
Co-founded by Justin Geever, a.k.a. Justin Sane, in Pittsburgh in 1993, members flitted in and out until the group solidified in 1999. Anti-Flag would go on to draw legions of devoted fans for their progressive messaging and political activism, including anti-war causes and animal-rights advocacy.
Geever served as the face, voice, and outward idealism of the group for decades. The band was proud to declare itself a safe space for people of all walks of life, especially women, and became vocal supporters of survivors of violent crime after the murder of a band member’s sister. That idealism would also become a central tenet to some of Geever’s lyrics. “This is what a feminist looks like!” he sings on 2005’s “Feminism Is for Everybody,” followed immediately by “This is what a feminist sounds like!”
"[the lead accuser's] claim, however, is echoed by an additional 12 women who spoke to Rolling Stone about their alleged encounters with Geever, going back to the 1990s and as recently as 2020. These allegations include predatory behavior, sexual assault, and statutory rape, including sexual relations with a 12-year-old when Geever was a teenager."
and
“'It was like, ‘Holy shit,’ ” says Suzanne, who met Geever at the band’s spring 2002 show in Cleveland. “This is a band I idolize. How is he interested in me? I didn’t really believe it.”
"The two began dating shortly after that first meeting, Suzanne says, with Geever allegedly taking several solo trips to her Arizona hometown, professing his love for her and taking the 17-year-old’s virginity outside of a car. (Rolling Stone has reviewed a photo of Suzanne and Geever alongside letters Suzanne says he sent her. Suzanne’s close friend from high school tells Rolling Stone she met Geever several times while he was dating Suzanne.) To her mother, Suzanne says, there were no obvious red flags — Geever claimed that he was 19. He was actually 30."
and
"Susie, who is using a variation of her birth name, claims she was 15 when Geever — then 35 — took her virginity when the band was playing in Germany in August 2008, following the release of their seventh album, The Bright Lights of America. The two had met at another European Anti-Flag gig, and Susie claims Geever recognized and greeted her when she turned up to the German show. He allegedly took her to a shed on the concert grounds, where they had sex. “He told me not to tell anyone afterwards,” Susie claims."
