Before We Start…

• Name a women’s music festival• Name the city that hosts that festival• Name the creator of that festival• Name three bands that played there• Bonus!!!

– Have you ever attended a women’s music festival?

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Women’s (Womyn's) Music Festivals

History of a Movement• For Women

• By Women

• About Women

"There's a feeling that you have stepped outside of society for a week, and that's very affirming," said Lisa Vogel, co-founder of Michigan Womyn's Music Festival, we really have a multigenerational, multicultural society here, and that's really rare."

The First Festival…• In 1973 at Sacramento

State University• Stemming from the lack

of "positive women's images within popular music" and a "lack of opportunities for female performers“.

• With the possibility of building an alternative culture.

A Common Ground

• Support other facets of lesbian and feminist culture

• Safe space for women's music• Offer workshops on topics concerning the

lesbian and feminist community• Provide opportunities for women to take

advantage of resources they often cannot find in mainstream culture

• Most are non-profit and grass-root

Ladyfest

• A community-based, not-for-profit global music and arts festival for female artisits that features bands, musical groups, performance artists, authors, spoken word and visual artists, and workshops

• Organized by volunteers.

• By and for women to showcase, celebrate and encourage the artistic, organizational and political work and talents of women.

• Each new festival is organized locally and independently of other Ladyfest events in other states or countriesBranched out into other urban centres such as Amsterdam, Atlanta, Belgium, Berlin,

Birmingham, Brighton, Bristol, Brooklyn, Cambridge, Columbus, Chicago, Cardiff, Dublin, Glasgow, Lansing, London, Los Angeles, Madrid, Melbourne, Orlando, Ottawa, Philadelphia, San Francisco, San Diego, Sevilla, Toronto, Washington DC, and more…

Ladyfest Toronto

“We seek to build community among Toronto's feminist businesses, artists, activists and academic community. We believe that art is a powerful form of resistance and hope to incite dialogue about contemporary feminist issues in our city. We will be providing a venue for women to express themselves and showcase their work free of sexism, classism, racism, and homophobia; as well as other forms of oppression.”

Lilithfair

• Was a concert tour and traveling music festival• Founded by musician Sarah McLachlan• Consisted solely of female solo artists and female-led bands

• Ran from 1997 - 1999.

Ethics of a Culture• Most Festival attendees are women, although

men can and do attend. • Attendees come from all walks of life and

cultures, cutting across ethnic, racial, sexual, age, and ability boundaries.

• A diversity of ideas and topics are explored and discussed in a safe environment.

• Festival is an environment in which philosophies and politics are open for discussion, not mandated or judged.

• http://www.lawmf.com/

The Michigan Womyn’s Festival• 1976-Lisa Vogel• Feminist Alternative• Completely run by women• Vegetarian meals• Outdoor showers• Satellite boys camp (ages 5-11)• Accessible to persons with

diabilities • Specialized groups

– Womyn of Color– Families– Over 50www.woman-vision.org/presskit/index.htm

1980

Origin of Womyn

• Man describes all of mankind• Women just describes females

– Subset of men

• Womyn is separate from the patriarchy• Medieval language of waeman and wyfman• Egalitarian language • Values women

Womyn-born-Womyn Experience

• Spaces by, for and about women who:– Were born as girls– Raised as girls– Live as women

• Women raised in a patriarchy have a unique experience

• Transgender women raised under structure of “boy”– Received male priveledge

Womyn-Born-Womyn Policy

• 1991- Nancy Burkholder disclosed transsexual status at Michigan Women’s Festival

• Attendees must be born and raised in a female body• Respect for trans women, but it is a space for WBW

– No transphobia

• No “Panty checks”– No tickets sold to those who want to disrupt

Reasoning

• Transphobia and sexism are different• Oppressed people should be able to define

their safe space without explanation• Pre-op transwomen may make cis-gendered

women uncomfortable– Victims of abuse and sexual assault

• Men could enter the space in drag

Safe Spaces for Womyn

• Freedom to walk at night without fear• Acceptance of their bodies• “Relaxing, organic, environment where we

feel most whole and most truly ourselves” michfest.com

Arguments Against WBW Policy

• Transgender women grow up with female gender identities and thus should not be considered 'second-class' women

• Experienced other forms of repression• Many transgendered women have experienced sexist

oppression• Banning female-bodied people who have not had access to

male privilege but are gender variant is hypocritical• The discomfort of the majority is not an acceptable reason to

exclude minorities• Many believe there is no universal experience all cisgendered

women have that no man or transwomen haven’t

CAMP TRANS

Camp Trans is an annual demonstration held outside

the Michigan Womyn’s Music Festival by transwomen and

their allies to protest the “Womyn-born womyn” only

policy.

But first…a timeline

1991: Nancy Burkholder comes out to others as trans within the MWMF. Festival security escorts her out.

1992: A small group of women set up a table within MWMF to educate others on trans and gender issues.

1994: Camp Trans begins.

History of Camp Trans

• By 1999, a small group of transgender activists were admitted to negotiate a short-lived compromise allowing only post-operative women into MWMF

• Over the next 3 years, Camp Trans leadership shifted to members of the Chicago queer community.

• Few transwomen attended during this period, as festival attendees increasingly came to view Camp Trans as a transgender annex of the festival, rather than a site of protest.

In Recent Years…- Moved to a large swath of national forest land down

the road from MWMF.- Attracts close to 200 people each year.- Attendees participate in direct actions and outreach

to the festival-goers.- Workshops, games, dances, and performances take

place.- Spend the week living out of tents.

• Activists at Camp Trans and MWMF had become frustrated with the boycott effort.

• They felt that a combined effort of external and internal activism on the grounds of MWMF might be more effective in making inclusion a reality.

• A few activists thought that separating MWMF-attending activists from Camp Trans might increase the chances of fostering peace between both organizations

• So began an online community group called The Yellow Armbands and meetings were conducted on "The Land" at

MWMF in 2006.

• Transwoman organizer of Camp Trans, Lorraine Donaldson, wanted to purchase a ticket to MWMF

• Handed an outdated handout. Asked for updated information.• Returned the next morning and met at the gate by three members of the

Yellow Armbands and one organizer of Camp Trans. Donaldson disclosed her trans status to the box office manager, before being sold a ticket and given an orange wristband that designated her as a "festie".

• Donaldson attended the festival for the remainder of the week and participated at a trans inclusion workshop that was presented by transwoman Emilia Lombardi. The workshop was listed as part of the official festival program and both Donaldson and Lombardi were open about being transwomen .

• In 2007, the Yellow Armband’s blog was frozen by an organizer who resigned from the activism. Other activists also resigned over concerns that Camp Trans was privileging the voices of trans men over trans women in their organization. The remaining inclusion activists at Yellow Armbands created a new online community and blog and renamed their organization Fest For All Womyn.

• Fest For All Womyn exists to promote welcoming and including Trans Womyn at the Michigan Womyn's Music Festival, to counter Transphobia and Trans Misogyny at the Michigan Womyn's Music Festival, and to support Trans Womyn who choose to attend the Michigan Womyn's Music Festival

• 2007 marked the first time in the herstory of the Michigan Womyn's Music Festival that trans women were sold tickets and camped on the festival grounds with no conflict.

The Future of Women’s Music Festivals

• Women’s music festivals tend to increase and decrease with time – but they never die out completely.

• The Los Angeles Women’s Music Festival is due back in Summer 2009

• The National Women’s Music Festival played in mid-June 2008.

• The low key, under the radar, mostly lesbian music festivals are pretty much guaranteed for survival, but will their be another mainstream women’s music festival such as Lilith Fair?

We showed the industry that female artists could attract the same

audiences as the big male stars. -Sarah McLachlan

Mainstream Women’s Music Festivals

• Lilith Fair, an music festival with only female acts was led by Sarah McLachlan in the late 90’s.

• It grossed $16 million, more than any other touring festival in history.

• While many women’s festivals must be actively sought out, Lilith Fair was mainstream enough to attract lesbian and straight women alike, and even men.

• In order to reach a more mainstream audience, another big name like Sarah McLachlan must see the importance in an all women’s music festival.

• Could the mainstream women’s music festival be the future of women’s festivals? Or will they continue to be small with relatively unknown acts?

• Does mainstreaming women’s festivals mean that feminists are “selling out”?

Women’s Music Festivals Discussion

• Michigan Womyn’s Music Festival is famous for its women-born-women only policy. The more mainstream festival, Lilith Fair allows anyone entrance into the festival. Which has a better chance of combating sexism?

• How does denying men entrance into certain music festivals effect relationships between the sexes?

• Could women-only policies possibly create a line between straight and lesbian women?

Women Born Women Discussion• What defines gender? • Is this a step back in feminism? Is this just

another form of sexism?• Are these women threatened by transgender

women? Where could this intolerance stem from?

• In class we watched a film that said the dictionary defines feminism as believing women are equal to men. By excluding men and transpeople, Does creating women-only spaces just reverse discrimination on others?