‘Man-free’ Statement festival guilty of discrimination
Statement – a "safe space" for everyone but 'cis' men – discriminated against males by telling them they aren't welcome, Sweden's Equality Ombudsman has ruled
News By | 19 December 2018
Sweden’s Equality Ombudsman has ruled that the recent Statement festival, held in Gothenberg on 31 August and 1 September 2018, violated both Swedish and European anti-discrimination legislation by claiming to bar “cis men” from attending.
According to the Diskrimineringsombudsmannen (DO) – which opened an investigation into the festival in July – Statement didn’t actually prevent cisgendered (cis) men, or those born male, from buying tickets or attending. However, media statements from organisers to that effect, as well as the event’s description as the “world’s first major music festival completely free from cis men”, constitute discrimination based on gender, the ombudsman ruled.
Under the Discrimination Act 2009, it is illegal in Sweden to discriminate against individuals based on their sex/gender, ethnicity, religion, disability, sexual orientation or age.
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