Ryan's Gig Guide - August 2018

www.ryansgigguide.com 20 rgg Aug 2018 Working directly with live music venues, promoters, West Midlands Police, and the Birmingham based Rape & Sexual Violence Project (RSVP), NOT NORMAL – NOT OK has launched a citywide campaign to challenge sexual assault in Birmingham’s live music venues. In the coming, months a series out outreach activities will take place at music venues across the city as part of the NOT NORMAL – NOT OK campaign.The first is a series of branded stickers, which people can wear when attending live music venues, gigs, and events, to show that they support the message of the NOT NORMAL – NOT OK campaign and will speak out against sexual assault and ag- gression. NOT NORMAL – NOT OK stickers can be issued to anyone who wants to wear them whilst attending live music venues and events. Email info@notnormalnotok.com and a sheet of 30 stickers will be mailed to any address in theWest Midlands free of charge. Live music venues and promoters can receive a larger number of stickers, if they want to distribute them to people attending at working at live music events. With a mandate to ‘encourage safety and re- spect within live music venues’, the NOT NORMAL – NOT OK campaign will ‘com- bat the culture of sexual assault and aggres- sion – from dance floor to dressing room’. From people being ‘groped’ or sexually as- saulted whilst in a crowded venue, to cases of more direct sexual violence and rape, a signifi- cant number of people are still suffering from sexual violence in Birmingham’s live music venues.And whilst each live music venue will have their own duty of care, enforced by SIA trained security and venue operators, many cases are still not being reported or fully chal- lenged as they occur. The NOT NORMAL – NOT OK campaign supports the ‘existing avenues of support’ in Birmingham’s live music venues, whilst ‘encour- aging people attending events to both look and speak out for each other.’ “ NOT NORMAL – NOT OK is about say- ing, in a strong, clear, and collective voice, that sexual assault in live music venues will not be tolerated,” says Ed King, Editor-in-Chief of Review Publishing , who set up the campaign with help fromWest Midlands Police and RSVP. “A staggering number of people, both male and female,” continues King,“are still suffering from sexual aggression in the city’s live music venues – from being sexually assaulted in audi- ences and crowded venues, having their drinks spiked with sedatives and ‘date rape drugs’, to cases of direct rape and sexual violence, and in no simpler terms it just needs to stop.” Emily Doyle , bass player for The Hungry Ghosts – a prominent local alternative rock group, and the designer of the NOT NOR- MAL – NOT OK logo, says:“ in 2018, sexual assault is still an issue within live music venues in Birmingham. Venues are working to tackle it.This campaign is there to support that, and not chal- lenge the work they have to do.That said, we all need to get send a clear message that sexual as- sault will not be tolerated within our music scene. It’s sad to have to say it, but too many people have got away with sexually aggressive and violent behaviour for too long. It stops now.”