femme mag

GIRLS SUPPOR
GIRLS AGAINST
John Peel Stage, Glastonbury, 2017. On a lazy Sunday afternoon Frank
Carter uses his precious time on stage to make a request of his fans, a
request that during his last song only girls in the crowd were allowed to
crowd surf, giving way for a sea of young female fans to glide across the
crowd and towards the stage. Similarly, Run the Jewels bound across the
Pyramid Stage and announce that anyone acting inappropriately towards
female fans will be personally beaten up by the band themselves. But
where has this wave of female acknowledgement at gigs come from? Enter
Girls Against…
In 2015 a group of teenage girls based all around the UK came together
with a common experience, that of sexual harassment at a gig. After
founder Hannah had to deal with unwanted interest from a member of the
opposite sex at a Peace gig, she formed a squad of girls with the intention
of raising awareness and breaking down the barriers of groping and harassment
within the gig circuit. Focusing their attention mainly on the bands
they themselves loved, they rallied big names such as Slaves, Jaws and
Swim Deep, who all supported their notion to make sexual harassment an
issue we could talk about.
Their name might suggest that they’re all about the ladies, however like all
good feminists they acknowledge that it isn’t just women who suffer. No
one deserves to be groped, regardless of their gender, especially not in
an environment that is meant to be a happy one. People wait years to see
their favourite bands, and to have that evening ruined by harassment is an
absolute travesty. It’s fair to say that bouncers and venue owners should be
taking responsibility in stopping this, however experiences collected by the
Girls Against crew have proved that bouncers often turn a blind eye to it.
Once again the girls are left doing it for themselves.
In the two years since their founding these girls have made a huge impact
on the way we approach harassment at gigs. Their merch has been worn
by a multitude of acts, their posters adorn the walls of venues in order to
reach out to people, and the girls themselves provide a listening ear to anyone
who’s experiences groping in a gig environment. Would bands playing
huge main stages at Glastonbury be reaching out to their fans to stop
groping without this movement opening up the conversation? Probably not.
Girls Against have started a war against groping.