Real equality is when women have the right to rave as hard as men

Originally published on The Radical Notion.

It’s officially festival season. We just finished Coachella in April and with MysteryLand and Electric Daisy Carnival starting this weekend, young people (and those young at heart) are traveling to music festivals in almost every region of this country. Many of my friends are also preparing to attend by researching what they are allowed to bring into festival fair grounds, or browsing popular fashions, and of course, trying to learn to pitch a tent.

My friends are also thinking about sexual assault and the dangers associated with participating in festival drug culture. It would be deliberately untruthful to discuss the major electronic festivals without discussing the prevalent and open drug culture. Worse, it would be a disservice to many of the attendees who are openly excited about this aspect of festivals. My stance on the drug culture is simple; do your homework, know how to stay safe, and have a buddy. All major festivals will have a medical tent, familiarize yourself with its location so that you can stay safe. But most importantly, have fun.

According to a study published in April of the 32 million people who attend music festival, 51% are women. Women are a majority of the young people who pay hundreds of dollars, or volunteer their time, to immerse themselves in a weekend full of incredible music and adventure. It was also unsurprisingly confirmed for us earlier this week “rape is a common experience among college age women”. Without a doubt, sexual assaults and rapes happen at music festivals. A quick Google search will yield countless stories of sexual violence and advice for how to minimize your chances for becoming a victim (there are no articles advising perpetrators on how to NOT rape at music festivals).

Instead of adding to the internet’s plethora of articles advising women to refrain from going to festivals or using drugs, this article offers a different perspective. By choosing to attend a music festival, and yes by using drugs, women are demanding equality. In October, feminist icon Jessica Valenti wrote an article for The Guardian arguing that women have as much right as men to be drunk and stupid; “Young women need to be able to move around the world with the same amount of stupid that men do because, if women are held to a higher standard of behavior, and we’re inevitably blamed if – and when – we don’t adhere to it.”

I’m going to go one step further than Valenti on this topic–women have just as much of a right to use drugs and attend music festivals as their male counterparts and are entitled to the same level of fearlessness in regards to sexual violence as men. If the person is political, which many feminists will agree, then by making the personal decision to participate fully in music festivals women are demanding equality in ALL spaces.

Historically, men had access to a variety of spaces used for drinking and general merriment, with very few women included only for men’s pleasure. It wasn’t until the introduction of flappers did women inject themselves into these previously male spaces, demanding an equal right to party (feel free to read this article to learn more about feminism and flappers!). In the 20^th and 21^st centuries, women have become a majority of the college population, and as a result, are joining their male peers in the party culture unique to colleges. Today, women grow up drinking and partying as much as men, despite the very real threat of sexual violence. Again Jessica Valenti writes: women get raped drunk and sober, in skirts and in sweatpants – warnings to avoid alcohol in order to avoid being raped send a clear message to women: you can never make a mistake, or any crime committed against you will be at least partially your fault.”

I choose to view today’s “raver” and festival going women as the new flappers. They are bravely entering hostile spaces and claiming every club, underground warehouse, college bar, and festival for themselves and their sisters. Party on, ladies!

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