Search form

Scroll To Top
News & Opinion

Sweden Holds First Festival Free of Cisgender Men

Sweden Holds First Festival Free of Cisgender Men

MALE FREE CONCERT

“There are no men screaming or threatening me as a trans person. There’s no violence here. No fights. That is so revolutionary in so many ways.”

A music festival free of all cisgender men took place this past weekend in Sweden.

The Statement Festival had the goal of creating a safe space for women, genderqueer, and gender nonconforming individuals.

The festival was in response to last year's Bravalla, the largest music festival in Sweden, where dozens of women came forth with rape and sexual assault allegations. Bravalla was canceled this year because organizers could not guarantee a safe space.

The idea for Statement Festival started with Emma Knyckare, a Swedish comedian and radio host. She tweeted in July of 2017, "What do you think about us putting together a very cool festival where only non-men are welcome and that we host until ALL men have learned how to behave themselves?"

The idea quickly took off, as numerous women began to share their experiences with sexual assault and harassment at music festivals.

"The whole area is free of cis-men," Ms. Knyckare said.

"We work exclusively with women, non-binary and transgender persons," the first-time festival host told Euronews. "This ranges from artists to catering to security personnel."

Many women expressed their immense gratitude for the festival space.

Saga Becker, a 29-year-old transgender actress, told the New York Times, "There are no men screaming or threatening me as a trans person. There's no violence here. No fights. That is so revolutionary in so many ways."

When asked what she thought about the cisgender straight and gay men who wished to attend, Ms. Becker replied, "Actually, I don't care at all, because I have been so afraid all of my life that I don't care about their disappointment."

Sara, 38, was waiting to get through security when she was asked why she came to the event. "I came here to hang out with my friends and not have to be sexually harassed."

When the NYT reporter asked if she'd miss any male energy or music, Sara replied, "Not at all. It's actually quite liberating."

Reportedly 4,500 people attended the festival on Saturday, and despite some cisgender men getting predictably upset, the festival seemed like a huge success.

Advocate Channel - The Pride StoreOut / Advocate Magazine - Fellow Travelers & Jamie Lee Curtis

From our Sponsors

Most Popular

Latest Stories

Zachary Zane