No stage for abusers?
No stage for abusers?
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#CreatingWomensSpaces... making spaces for the conversations women want to have!
14:00-16:30 I Free Creche I Women-only I Brighton & Hove
No Stage For Abusers?
Join us to reflect, remember, listen & share.....
What message does it send to women and men when concerts for known abusers such as Johnny Depp, Chris Brown, Nick Carter sell out? Who buys the tickets? Do they separate abuser from performer? Artist from art? Or do audiences not consider the enormity of these crimes? Are women collateral in the free expression of men? What message are venues sending their communities when abusers are celebrated, when tours are used to whitewash their crimes, or help them turn a profit?
For Manson's upcoming tour, Ticket Master describes him as an 'iconic rock legend'. His previous partners are more candid. They describe him as a rapist, an abuser, a kidnapper.
Following a campaign in Brighton, the Brighton Centre has cancelled Manson's opening concert scheduled for this autumn. The backlash on social media, (including towards us) has unsurprisingly included misogynistic and sexualised language. This is not a bug but a feature of a culture that celebrates and minimises abuse against us:
For Chris Brown's tour, Ticket Master describes him as a "prodigious talent", and with no sense of irony even likens him to Micheal Jackson. Yet there is a live restraining order against him. In recent years several women spoke about Brown's alleged abuse, including Jane Doe who claimed that the "Loyal" singer raped her in 2020 on Sean "Diddy" Combs' yacht.
Watch: Chris Brown: A History of Violence
How do you navigate this in your life? Where do you draw the line? What is the best way to challenge the normalisation of known sexual offenders and domestic abusers in public life? What are the difficulties in holding men to account when so few have criminal convictions? And why do we see again and again, that those with criminal convictions continue to have high profile and celebrated careers? How do we end male violence and what role does culture have to play in this?
"More than one million violent crimes against women and girls were recorded in 2023 (NPCC, 2024). At least one woman in every 12 is a victim annually, with the true rate likely to be much higher."
Glasgow Women's Aid has spoken out, alongside many survivors in relation to Chris Brown's tour:
“Time and time again, we see the entertainment industry turn a blind eye to abuse when profit is involved. Promoters, venues and sponsors claim to stand against violence against women but continue to hand a mic to men who harm.”
Join us this July to share your reactions and thoughts!
About us........
On the THIRD SATURDAY OF EVERY MONTH we invite women* to join us in our woman-only space to share their experiences and insights. We sit in a circle, as each woman is equal. Every woman is welcome to speak and listen. Yes, we have cake.
Tickets are free, but please donate to help us cover the costs of the venue, the cost of the creche & teas & coffees. Only donate if you can comfortably afford to do so. There is a card reader at the meeting too.
Our creche is FREE! Please book by midnight on 16 July so we can plan the play space. Do let us know of any additional needs they have. If a creche environment is not appropriate for your child, we will happily pay their regular care worker to have them for the duration to enable you to join us.
If you have no recourse to public funds and would like help with travel costs please get in touch.
*We have a single-sex policy. Strictly only- women registered female at birth. Women registered female at birth who express a trans or non-binary identity are welcome and attend. If you were registered male at birth we are happy to signpost you to a variety of similar groups (scroll down)
**This means that sometimes women (registered female at birth) attend who present as male. We recognise that this can be unexpected! We would like to reassure you that our spaces are strictly male-free and women-only.
To learn more about our group and our campaigns visit our website and follow us on twitter. Please read our mythbusters here. If you want to create spaces for women please download our activist pack that tells you everything you need to know.
Our rules........
Many of our topics can trigger disclosures of sexual & domestic abuse. Women often talk about difficult and personal issues. We hold this space to enable women to do this. Many have no other space in their lives dedicated to reflection in this way. To enable women to feel safe, centred and empowered to do this, all attendees enter into our community pledge; confidentiality, self-organisation, trust, respect and sisterhood.
Signposting....
click here for support services