Sweden's 'man-free' festival now has a name

Article here. Excerpt:

'After reading through comments and offers to help, the Swede quickly put together a group of 22 project leaders, PR people and organizers to help move the idea forward. Now, the event has been given a title, "Statement Festival".

"The name has been decided as well as that it will be a two-day festival next summer, and we're going to try to have 100 percent women working and playing. We'll gradually release news on things like the location and artists via Kickstarter."
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Some have suggested the event could be against anti-discrimination laws, but the organizers insist that after consulting legal experts they have been assured it is OK, noting that "creating a safe space" is the goal.

The people behind the festival have also been careful to point out that it will specifically be free from cisgender men and that transgender people for example are welcome. Cisgender is a term for a person whose gender identity corresponds to their birth sex.'

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http://www.parliament.am/library/sahmanadrutyunner/Sweden.pdf

'The Instrument of Government (SFS nr: 1974:152)
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Chapter 1. Basic principles of the form of government
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Art. 2.
Public power shall be exercised with respect for the equal worth of all and the liberty and dignity of the private person.
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The public institutions shall combat discrimination of persons on grounds of gender, colour, national or ethnic origin, linguistic or religious affiliation, functional disability, sexual orientation, age or other circumstance affecting the private person.
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Chapter 2. Fundamental rights and freedoms
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Art. 16.
No act of law or other provision may imply the unfavourable treatment of a citizen on grounds of gender, unless the provision forms part of efforts to promote equality between men and women or relates to compulsory military service or other analogous official duties.'

In the US, the Con'n states the scope of the powers of gov't, specif. limiting its powers and restricting discussion to the rel'p between the individual and the gov't. Sweden's Con'n does what most con'ns do: outline the rel'p between not just the ppl and the state, but what social principles will or must be applied to relations among the ppl. In this way, it is very European. The US chose specif. to exclude a discussion of how the ppl will relate to one another provided the way they relate does not violate specific "necessary and proper" laws, such as laws vs. murder, theft, etc. It is this tradition that allowed SCOTUS to nullify laws that addressed sex acts among consenting adults behind closed doors, etc.

So working w/ Sweden's take, its con'n specif. empowers the state to promote and enforce certain value-based principles, incl. gender non-discrimination generally... UNLESS the discrimination is used to combat some other kind of discrimination. Of course there is the military service exemption built right in: it's OK to discriminate based on sex when involving military service. Of course.

So the question is, assuming there isn't already a precedent in re single-sex gatherings that are otherwise publicly accessible (ie, for the cost of a ticket, you're in), is "keeping out bad men" a good enough reason to make an event like this single-sex, when it can be shown that the great bulk of men represent no practical threat to others' safety?

In the US, sex-based discrimination in re public events even put on by private people (ie, non-gov't-run events) has been held in a number of states to be unlawful, violating the states' con'ns. The US Con'n says nothing about these things except in that anything not mentioned in it is a matter for indiv. states or the ppl generally to decide via tradition, local laws, etc. So I am not sure we'll see a SCOTUS case on it any time soon. Though, Roe v. Wade did make it to SCOTUS and they held it violated the right to be secure in person, property, papers and effects (the general "right to privacy" principle often invoked here in the US). So maybe one day.

I don't know anything abt Swedish law or precedents than what you see here. I am "just sayin'"... based on my less-than-stellar knowledge abt it, it looks on the mere surface like it could become a legal issue. Question is, is anyone in Sweden ready to make it one?

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. . . I'll be shocked if they are able to find enough female labour to make this happen. Women tend to stray away from the type of work that is necessary to put stages, sound towers, and electrical supplies together. That being said, this festival just might end up being a wake up call to the gender apartheid supporters.

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The picture I have in my head is that the entertainers and speakers will be female as well as the audience and festival goers and any workers who interact with the public, but I am betting that the laborers behind the scenes will be mostly men. I could be wrong, but I think that men will be the ones doing most the heavy lifting, stage set-up, sound, electronics, security and clean-up.

...and if it is that way, I doubt feminists will acknowledge it, it's like they don't even notice.

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