USC Aiken student and family threatened, seeking community help
USC Aiken sophomore Luna Godsey and her family have experienced harassment and threats of violence over social media since Oct. 10, 2020.
The harassment has continued to escalate over social media, presently involving personal information breaches of addresses, phone numbers and identity thefts.
The first public post made regarding the situation was shared on Godsey’s personal Facebook page on Oct. 25 at 8:29 p.m. The post, which sought help, briefly detailed the harassment her family has experienced.
“Guys, I need your help,” the post began. “If someone you know or are related to works in law enforcement for Aiken county we need serious help,” wrote Godsey. “We have now had people leak our addresses online and post pictures of weapons threatening to take us out. The Aiken county sheriffs (sic) has basically told us to deal with it,” she continued.
Godsey also wrote that they have given information to the FBI but it has been “brushed over.”
“Please help our families,” she finished.
The harassment began roughly a month ago, Godsey explained, when her father, Bishop Greg Godsey, created a TikTok account to promote inclusivity of gender identities and sexualities within the Catholic church. The account quickly procured a large following.
Initially, the account gained support and maintained a welcoming environment. The following week, however, the harassment got “really, really bad,” she expressed.
A user on TikTok created a video with an image of a gun on the screen with the threat of shooting St. Francis Parish.
“We reached out to just the sheriff (sic) department because they take care of cases in North Augusta,” she explained.
Godsey specified that nobody was sent nor was a follow-up made by the department after this first call.
“Basically the response has been the same,” Godsey said, referring to the calls that have been made following the first.
Around the same time her father created the TikTok account, Godsey explained that her and her girlfriend’s pet rabbits had died.
This information was made public by Godsey’s father on the account.
Immediately following the post, users spammed rabbit emojis on all of her father’s videos as well as accusing them of killing the rabbits and cooking them.
Godsey explained that her father’s number had been spread, leading to numerous calls, some of which untraceable, discussing provocative topics.
In live videos, Godsey’s father experienced sexual harassment, fake phone calls with purposefully inflammatory content and other forms of harassment.
A week ago, Godsey’s father came out as gender-fluid, which did not seem to ease the harassment, according to Godsey.
The address of the church as well as her father’s home was leaked and images of the home were shared online, including one image of Godsey’s father opening the door to their house.
Though they have not reported seeing anybody showing up to their home, Godsey maintains their fear for their physical safety.
Along with the shared images and personal information, users on TikTok have taken to impersonating Godsey’s father, even going lengths to create fake accounts of Greg Godsey.
One account that goes by the name “bishopgreerghasasmalldic” posted videos with screencaptures of her father that align with false messages.
One video with the caption “Bishop Greer when asked if he likes little boys” contained a video of Godsey’s father making a thumbs-up gesture toward the camera.
Another video was recorded in a church setting with the caption “Me traveling to kill bishop greer.”
In the comments under the last video, a user commented “i hope you can go live with Bishop soon!”
Another video took a screenshot of Godsey’s father reacting to a comment reading “you’re spreading false gospel telling ANY LGBTQ person theyll enter heaven. youll pay a special price for this.” The caption on the video posted to the false account read “Bishop Greer took a L and added the GBTQ #killhim.”
Other users on Greg Godsey’s TikTok have taken to targeting Luna Godsey, using her identity as a trans woman as a point of harassment. One comment read “so you’re a priest with a trans daughter? Guess she missed a few of your teachings. Praying for you.”
Luna Godsey also mentioned that harassers have done “deep dives” to discover and spread her deadname and subsequently make transphobic remarks.
Both Luna Godsey and Greg Godsey have experienced transphobic comments following their public and private information being released. Greg Godsey has also experienced allegations of sexual misconduct and numerous assault jokes directed toward them.
A message directed toward Godsey’s father threatened death: “I will come after you. Your life is over.”
On a live video hosted by Godsey’s father, user ncsteelerfan commented “Trust me I will find you it is not hard with the Internet. And I will put a hole in your head.”
The user also commented “You are about to have a man hunting you down.”
Another user commented “Down the road.”
On the church’s page that the Godsey family attends, people have been leaving false reviews spreading allegations of assault as well as transphobic, homophobic comments involving Luna Godsey.
Luna Godsey explained that she and her girlfriend have taken measures to try and protect themselves, including restricting their accounts, removing information and staying inside in fear of recognition. Her parents have done the same.
“People in the church have been … cautious,” Godsey explained. Church doors have been locked in response to the shooting threat made at the beginning of the harassment.
“This is obviously something that goes against laws in South Carolina. This is obviously something they (the police) need to take care of,” Godsey stated. “(It) makes me wonder how many people have gone through similar experiences and have been brushed off.”
“Take these sort of things seriously,” she urged.
The Godsey family offered a $1000 reward to create a case against the threats that have been made. They have also created a website that compiles the evidence, all of which has been “declined” by authorities.
Pacer Times reached out the Aiken County Sheriff’s Department for a statement.
At this time, Oct. 27, 6:15 p.m., no comment has been made. Any response from the department will be provided in an update.
Luna Godsey encourages the community to reach out to provide helpful contacts and resources.
At 7:08 p.m., Pacer Times spoke with Aiken County Sheriff’s Department. Action has not been able to be pursued because of the lack of the “present ability to carry out the threat.”
