The beaut thing about festivals in Australia is that you get a huge mix of people that come from all different walks of life, gathering in one spot to celebrate and dance until their legs don’t want to move anymore.
We tracked down a few folks at Listen Out festival in Sydney over the long weekend, to talk about acceptance and inclusivity both in life and at festivals – and how we as music-loving punters can help to make the summer festival season a more welcoming one.
“Regardless of age, skin, nationality, you should be able to go where you wanna go and do what you wanna do. – Laeeqa
“I think inclusivity is about loving everyone and having an open mind.” – Sarah
“As a queer person, it’s becoming obvious that we’re not as inclusive as we think. It’s about allowing people to live their lives and tolerating without judgement.” – Portia
“It’s about being who you wanna be.” – Jordan
“This is the first time I’ve been alone at a festival, you’ve just got to learn to let go.” – Laura
“Acceptance is about having empathy for everyones’ situation.” – Simon
“It’s about being yourself.” – Maddie
“Diversity in every body. No discrimination!” – Shaun & Jenna
“I like the idea of being an individual. Everyone should be able to be who they are.” – Joshua
“If you’re a heterosexual, white, middle class person you don’t have the knowledge to pass judgement on other peoples’ experiences.” – Bella
Top notch stuff, Listen Out fam. The future’s looking so much brighter with you all in it.