Wednesday, August 05, 2020

"What you see on Twitter is only the tip of the iceberg"

Anyone in any doubt as to the truth of Kiri Pritchard-McLean's claim that the stand-up circuit is "a Takeshi's Castle of pervery" should read this article by Rachael Healy. Canvassing the comments of a whole range of female comedians and industry insiders, the piece offers jaw-dropping and utterly damning evidence that the problem is not just a few male bad apples but institutionalised and endemic sexism that makes stand-up an unsafe space for women.

Comedy clubs shouldn't need to have anti-harassment policies or codes of conduct, and there shouldn't need to be mentoring schemes specifically for women - but it's clear that that need both very much exists and is urgent.

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