Witch Fever have inspired Obtain Pageant to make clear their assertion revealed earlier over issues that the pageant is “implementing ambiguous and transphobic EHRC pointers”.
The rock and steel pageant is ready to return to its house of Donington Park, Leicestershire, subsequent month – working between June 13-15. Inexperienced Day, Sleep Token and KoRn will all be first-time headliners, and different names on the invoice embody Weezer, Intercourse Pistols that includes Frank Carter, Jimmy Eat World, Poppy, Detest, Jerry Cantrell and extra.
Controversy arose over screenshots of an electronic mail question regarding the pageant’s coverage on what bathrooms trans attendees ought to use. “We might be following the interim steering issued by the Equalities and Human Rights Fee (EHRC) on 25 April 2025 right here,” the e-mail learn. “Their steering states that ‘trans girls (organic males) shouldn’t be permitted to make use of the ladies’s amenities and trans males (organic girls) shouldn’t be permitted to make use of the lads’s amenities’”.
Quite a few artists together with NOAHFINNCE, Zand and Pinkshift known as the pageant out on-line and Witch Fever was amongst them, calling the coverage “an entire fuckin’ tragedy”. In the meantime, Harpy – who’s enjoying the pageant this yr – mentioned she had reached out to the pageant’s workforce encouraging them to “join with somebody who can characterize the trans neighborhood and educate them on higher options shifting ahead”.
In response, Obtain issued an announcement through which they clarified that almost all of their bathrooms can be gender impartial.
We stand with all members of our neighborhood and need everybody to really feel secure, supported and welcome at Obtain pic.twitter.com/TSMIhZFLJZ
— Obtain Pageant (@DownloadFest) Might 28, 2025
“On the coronary heart of Obtain is acceptance – we stand with all members of our neighborhood and need everybody to really feel secure, supported and welcome on the pageant,” the assertion started. “We need to reassure all of our clients that at Obtain, nearly all of bathrooms might be gender impartial and accessible to all. There will even be single intercourse bathrooms offered. Obtain Pageant has at all times been and stays for everybody.”
“We sincerely apologise {that a} earlier communication on this was not clear. We’re wanting ahead to seeing you at Obtain this yr.”
Now, Witch Fever have shared a brand new message expressing concern over the assertion, questioning if the pageant will proceed to observe the “ambiguous and transphobic” EHRC pointers or not.
“If the only intercourse bathrooms nonetheless observe the EHRC pointers this isn’t adequate,” they mentioned.
“The rules outline organic intercourse by an individual’s chromosomal make-up. We ask you t6 verify how you propose to implement these pointers. Will chromosome checks be carried out outdoors the bathroom amenities? On what grounds will a check be administered? Will a judgment merely be made on how masculine/female an individual seems to be? Who will resolve this? Will trans males be allowed within the women amenities following this steering?
“It is a harmful rhetoric to take and never solely dangerous to all GNC individuals however all girls, no matter their gender assigned at beginning.
“How do you propose to maintain queer individuals secure at your pageant whereas implementing transphobic pointers? Are you in any respect conscious of the unsafe place you set a trans lady in by not letting her rightfully use girls’s amenities?
The band continued: “We implore you to not observe pointers set by our ever proper wing leaning governing and statutory our bodies, which in the end quantity to segregation.
“We guarantee you that this ‘clarification’ doesn’t present any queer, GNC and trans individuals with peace of thoughts.
“We ask you to query the credibility of those pointers earlier than alienating your queer viewers, earlier than including to the rising policing of girls’s our bodies and, satirically, earlier than inflicting a hindrance to girls’s security.
“Please don’t bounce on the tradition conflict in opposition to trans individuals. Please make Obtain an inclusive and secure surroundings for all. Now we have cherished enjoying your pageant and need it to proceed being a secure place for all to attend.”
Witch Fever’s name for readability – and extra transparency on their stance on trans inclusivity – has been echoed by different artists. NOAHFINNCE mentioned he had been in “direct contact” with Obtain over their coverage however later mentioned on X that when he had seen the unique assertion, he felt that the problem wanted to be addressed extra straight.
“i and as I’m certain a whole lot of others nonetheless don’t really feel like the problem at hand has ACTUALLY been addressed…” he wrote.
(Btw I hadnt seen their “assertion” on the time of scripting this tweet, i and as I’m certain a whole lot of others nonetheless don’t really feel like the problem at hand has ACTUALLY been addressed… on a household vacation proper now however will strive getting in touch once more)
— NOAHFINNCE👹 (@noahfinnadams) Might 28, 2025
Zand additionally criticised the assertion on their Instagram story. “This nonetheless doesn’t handle the problem delivered to consideration within the first place.. we already know a lot of the bathrooms are gender impartial because the portaloos are usually at any pageant however to say single intercourse bathrooms might be accessible, with out clarifying if trans individuals are welcome to make use of whichever aligns with their id probably the most feels redundant and imprecise on objective.
“There’s nothing clear about this. As a trans artist who’ve cherished your pageant please are you able to verify transparently whether or not your pageant will adhere to the earlier assertion that mentioned the pageant will adhere to EHRC pointers?
“It’s essential now to state greater than ever to state clearly and concisely that transphobic pointers will NOT be enforced at your pageant in order for you your trans clients to really feel secure attending, with the path our society has gone with transphobia being normalised more and more – sure, it actually does warrant spelling out for individuals I’m afraid.”
NME has reached out to Obtain Pageant for remark.
The reference to the EHRC within the unique Obtain doc associated to the UK Supreme Court docket ruling on April 16, through which judges unanimously dominated that the authorized definition of a lady is predicated on organic intercourse below the Equality Act. The Equality Human Rights Fee explains that the ruling from the Supreme Court docket implies that, in locations open to the general public, trans girls shouldn’t use girls’s amenities akin to bathrooms.
Many have been reluctant to uphold the anti-trans rules, and BBC has reported that many leaders throughout the UK’s cultural sector had been “unwilling” to police which bathrooms individuals select to make use of.
Quite a few figures within the music world have shared their assist for the trans neighborhood too, together with Scissor Sisters, Fragrance Genius, Rubbish, Rachel Chinouriri, JADE, Lambrini Women and Billy Bragg. In addition to that, large names like Charli XCX, Self Esteem and Wolf Alice are among the many many artists to have additionally signed an open letter of solidarity to the trans neighborhood from the UK music business.