It’s no surprise to anyone that the music industry is a male-dominated one. It always has been. We get it.
But it is the year 2017. We have amazing female artists like Tash Sultana, Vera Blue, Amy Shark, Tkay Maidza and Sia absolutely flogging the charts (and that’s just a few Aussies) and yet one promoter decided it was still A-OK to put on an entirely male show.
A sausagefest, if you will.
Now, we’re all for a bit of a sausage sizzle here at Girl HQ, but we’re also all for girls, transgenders and non-binary folks having, like, rights and stuff.
Which evidently, Canberra-based business Greenroom – the promoter of the controversial show – doesn’t.
After one social media comment questioned the complete lack of diversity on the show’s bill, the promoter responded with this:
Then, when someone else said a simple solution would be to add some females to the lineup (which included Regurgitator and 10 all-male bands from the nation’s capital) for the ANU Bar gig in June, the promoter hit back with this:
Bad news for the promoter today, though, with headliner Regurgitator pulling out of the show.
Here’s their full statement:
REGURGITATOR pulls out of ANU FINALE event.
Official cancellation announcement statement:Regurgitator is withdrawing from the JUNE 17 – ANU FINALE lineup in Canberra.
Given our position on matters of gender equality, social justice and equal opportunity for all, we have decided we can not be involved with the upcoming ANU FINALE event. Based on the subsequent responses from the organisers to criticism about the heavy gender bias of the lineup and how this has aggravated rather than managed to accommodate the concerns posed online by people in Canberra we have had to cancel our upcoming involvement in this ANU BAR finale lineup. Apologies to any inconvenienced by this decision.
Music is not about gender but we can not ignore gender in regard to the ongoing practices of music as an industry.
Not excusing ourselves, but not knowing the majority of the bands selected we had no idea of the heavy gender bias of the lineup. We have friends who identify as non-binary or non-gender specific along with many from the LGBTQI+ community. We very much support mixed demographic scenarios where possible covering diversity in gender, sexuality, race etc. Like most we are not without our own flaws in managing such concerns but we are aware of how important this is, so this matter very much concerns us as a group.
Being presented under the auspices of the ANU we also feel the lineup has a need to reflect the typical charter of a unversity in regard to diversity and inclusiveness. In stating these issues and the comments made online from the organisers we have decided to withdraw from this event as their public position runs against all we support.
Given the state of society, environment and climate we hope upcoming generations across the world take time and effort to consider the realities of injustice right across the board and manifest more inclusive attitudes and overall awareness to make a stand against archaic and non-progressive approaches that we are currently laden with, and in turn to help make the world a better place for all.
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