Sweden’s ‘Man-Free’ Feminist Music Festival Found Guilty of Discrimination
Festival billed itself as 'women, non-binary and transgender only' event
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A feminist music festival in Sweden that banned men from attending has been found guilty of discrimination by authorities, according to reports.
The event, which is held in Gothenburg in August this year, billed itself as 'the world's first major music festival for women, non-binary and transgender only.'
The festival aptly named 'Statement' violated anti-discrimination legislation, according to a ruling from Sweden's Discrimination Ombudsman (DO).
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Although men were not prevented from purchasing tickets or entering the festival grounds, make ale members of artists' entourages, managers and technicians, were restricted to a 'man-pen' in the backstage area, reports say.
DO press officer Clas Lundstedt responded to the ruling in a statement:
'It is important to point out what infringement is. These are the statements made before the festival, what they wrote on their website.
'Still, we haven't been able to prove that someone would have been discriminated against in connection with the implementation or that someone would have been rejected.'
Lundstedt noted that nobody suffered damage as a result of Statement staying men where not allowed into the festival and that there will be no penalty of organizers.
The festival as billed a 'safe space' for women and 'cis-men free' artists, amid the growing rape epidemic plaguing Sweden.
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According to the BBC: 58% of men convicted in Sweden of rape and attempted rape over the past five years were born abroad, data reveals.
Its hardly surprising such a festival would become popular in the country.
The term cisgender is a term to describe a man or a woman whose gender equals the sex they were at birth.
A non-binary or trans person is someone whose gender doesn't conform to their birth sex.
Emma Knyckare, a Swedish comedian, was the brainchild for the festival, following reports of f sexual offenses were reported at Bravalla, Sweden's biggest music festival, last year.
Statement festival reported no such crimes.
Lundstedt added:
'Clearly, we believe that sexual abuse, especially at festivals, is a serious problem. So we are looking forward to trying to correct this. However, it shouldn't happen in a way that violates the law, which their statements in the media and their website do.'
The festival seems un fashed by the ruling and wrote on Facebook it was 'busy changing the world.'
'It's sad that what 5,000 women, non-binaries and transgender experienced as a life-changing festival, made a few cis-men lose it completely.
'The success of the Statement festival shows that is exactly what we need, and the DO's verdict doesn't change this fact. Otherwise, we have no comments. We are busy changing the world.'
