Sexual abuse in the music industry gets spotlight with #MeNoMore
Musician Courtney Barnett is one of hundreds of women in the Australian music industry to join a campaign against sexual harassment and assault.
Over 300 Australian women have signed an open letter slamming sexual discrimination and abuse in the music industry. Dubbed #MeNoMore, the new movement and open letter has been inspired by Tarana Burke’s #MeToocampaign collecting personal stories of sexual harassment, which gained new attention following the accusations against disgraced movie producer Harvey Weinstein.
The letter, published by Australian B2B news publisher The Industry Observer, has been signed by hundreds of women in the music industry, from artists and musicians like Barnett, Sarah Blasko, and The Preatures’ Isabella Manfredi, along with managers, lawyers, booking agents, record label employees, publicists, journalists, and more.
“It’s become clear that the magnitude of #MeToo extends to our own shores and to our own industry,” says the #MeNoMore statement.
“We have listened to our friends. We have names of perpetrators. We know the same names that are repeated in unrelated circles. It saddens us that the people who hold us in fear and keep us silenced are people we work with, people who many of us have aspired to work under, and people who some of us have known as friends. These people need to be held accountable.”
Along with the petitioned names, the #MeNoMore site contains anonymous firsthand accounts of sexual discrimination, harassment, and assault.
“We all have our own stories, or know someone who does. We are not whingers or vibe-killers. We are passionate people dedicating our lives to music,” the statement reads.
“In the face of uncountable discrimination, harassment, violence, and the general menace of sexist jargon, we have gritted our teeth and gotten on with the job. But today we say, no more.”
The hashtag is gaining traction on Twitter, where the Australian music industry is posting it as both a battle cry and motion of support.
Expect the movement and signatures, like #MeToo, to grow in the coming days. Australia’s music industry has a lot of work to do here.
IMAGE: MARK METCALFE/GETTY IMAGES
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