Tracey Wise, London, UK, SSH Blog Correspondent
Since establishing Safe Gigs for Women in June, after being groped at a big music event in the UK, it has become clear that I was not alone in facing this problem. Many women have contacted us, sharing their experiences of harassment at gigs, some saying as a result they now no longer go to gigs alone. At least three major festivals in the UK this summer reported serious sexual assaults. And let’s not forget that infamous T shirt from Coachella.
As such, it became clear that one of the principle aims of this campaign has to be to engage with gig goers to raise awareness of how their behaviour can impact others. Key to Safe Gigs for Women is the idea that this isn’t ‘man hating or women blaming’. But we must have the conversation that says it is not okay for men to grope women at music events nor is it appropriate to see the darkness and crowded space as a blanket for which it is acceptable to do this and get away with it. It will also be working to ensure that we are looking out for each other. Gigs and festivals can be a daunting place at times, and with music being very much, in our eyes, a force for good, to encourage everyone to look out for each other at all times will go a massive way to address this. The establishing of other projects addressing just this issue in the UK further highlight how this is a problem, including the White Ribbon Music project and Girls Against.
Hannah from Girls Against, said when asked why this project and why now:
“We’ve had numerous people… get in contact with us to say that they had no idea this even went on. We’d like to keep educating people… We’ve had people say that they’ve seen this happen but did nothing about it so we want to change that… We should be joining together and supporting each other so that everyone has a good time”.
Writing in support of Safe Gigs for Women on the Land of Sunshine blog, Niki Jones rightly points out that “a woman shouldn’t need a burly protector in order to enjoy a band”.
And it’s not just the UK. Recently, the US based band Speedy Ortiz set up a helpline for fans experiencing harassment at gigs.
Safe Gigs for Women was very much established in the opinion that for this to be successful, we must first encourage and defend the teaching of consent in all schools, as part of sex and relationship education. Secondly, if men are the “problem,” then men have to be part of the solution. So how do we do this?
Whilst I could stand and talk about this all day, chances are someone out there will call me a whinging feminist. But to achieve this, as I was lucky enough to hear Chris Green (director of the White Ribbon Project in the UK) advocate, men have to have the conversation with other men. Men have to call out other men on their inappropriate behaviour. Safe Gigs for Women welcomes all men ready to stand with us in this.
Born and raised in London, Tracey is a graduate of City University. She has spent the best part of her life at gigs and festivals and obsessing about music and created the “Safe Gigs for Women” project.
