What can you do?
Educate yourself and others around consent and practice it.
We must have this discussion from the standpoint of prevention.
And with prevention I mean making sure that oneself doesn’t inflict violence on others. I’m not asking for justice on my case, there can be none.
But I demand accountability.
Since June 2023, there has been an initiative with the platform MusicMetoo.de, where people from the German music industry, but also music fans, music students etc. can anonymously share their experiences with violence and discrimination. This doesn’t just apply to Metoo, but to ANY form of violence. It doesn’t just apply to one gender, but to all of them.
We are aware of our Whiteness in the team, and hope to expand it with other perspectives as soon as possible, so that we can make sure to neither be perceived as, nur unconscioulsy acting like just another white feminist initiative.
Together with other activists and initiatives we built this platform to give those affected the opportunity to speak and to make the extent of violence in music visible. The platform connects affected people sharing the same perpetrators if they wish so, and, if desired, confidentially establishes contact with the press. There is also further information and clear demands to politicians and the industry. I would like to encourage you to share your experiences and to encourage others to share theirs.
I very much hope that you will speak out on social media or otherwise join the discussion. There is no neutrality when it comes to the issue of violence. Rather, take the risk of speaking out awkwardly and be open to learning and addressing your cognitive dissonance.
I promise: the discomfort becomes less when you are not alone in it.
A condemnation to silence was reproduced in many places and by several people, where I should have been helped. Not being able to speak freely for fear of being shamed and excluded for something that was done to me limited me massively until today.
But not any more. Now I am talking.
The name of the abuser is Greg Cohen.