Firefly's partner in #MeToo movement, OurMusicMyBody, aims for awareness, consensual fun

A plane with a Trojan condoms banner circled the grounds of Firefly Music Festival Saturday afternoon.

Fresh-faced festivalgoers with glitter on their faces, their hair in braids, traveled in packs wearing shorts and tanks or bralettes.

The music was loud, the beer was flowing, the sun was out.

It didn't look like Firefly had changed much in the era of #MeToo, but there were some efforts made to raise awareness about sexual harassment and abuse.

Firefly organizers Red Frog Events, a Chicago-based company, partnered with OurMusicMyBody, a campaign that works to make live music a space safe from sexual harassment and assault.

Red Frog contacted the campaign’s organizers to partner for this year’s festival, which is similar to others the campaign has worked with, including Riot Fest and Lollapalooza, said Maggie Arthur, co-director of OurMusicMyBody.

In a recent survey of about 500 people the campaign contacted, one finding was that 93 percent of women had experienced sexual harassment at festivals. That included everything from being followed to groping to getting unsolicited body comments and being photographed without consent.

For years, a lot of people have felt that behavior comes with the territory. “It’s the price of entry,” Arthur said.

Not so, said Terry Crews, former NFL player and actor, who stopped by Firefly on Saturday.

When #MeToo gained momentum, Crews added his voice to the movement, saying he had been sexually assaulted by a Hollywood executive.

He talked about the importance of maintaining a safe space for those who love live entertainment.

“The stuff is rampant because this is where predators can thrive,” he said.

Arthur backed up that sentiment.

“It’s close quarters, everyone’s sweaty, everyone’s dancing, and folks feel they can take advantage of that space,” Arthur said.

The campaign offers informational sessions for security in handling sexual harassment and assault complaints, but timing prohibited that this year at Firefly, Arthur said.

One of the issues is that at some events, staff isn’t prepared to deal with the issues, Arthur said. In those cases, people will sometimes ask the medical staff for help.

An emergency medical technician who has worked at Firefly for two years and did not wish to be named said most of the people they helped were affected by drugs and alcohol — not sexual assault or harassment. But if they were, the professionals on scene would follow standard procedure — connecting the victim with help via a help hotline or at the hospital, depending on the severity of the claim.

Most women we spoke to said they felt safe at Firefly.

“Nobody’s really done anything to make me feel uncomfortable, or anything like that,” said Amanda Madaio, 27, of New Jersey.

She added that the tone of Firefly isn’t an aggressive one.

“It’s also group consensus that this is about love and togetherness and group experience, so you never wanna make anyone feel uncomfortable,” she said.

Having a No Tolerance policy goes a long way to making people feel safe, Crews said.

“The fact that they have that policy ... lets people know that they can come in and enjoy and know that they’re safe,” he said. “You gotta know that you’re safe.”

The No Tolerance policy has been in place for years, said Nicole Meagher, Red Frog media relations specialist. Security workers have also always had a visible presence and on the festival's official app there is a red bar that reads "Need Help?" and allows fans to text for an emergency of any kind.

But this is the first time Red Frog partnered with OurMusicMyBody to have an onsite resource specifically for sexual assault and harassment.

The group had a booth set up in the vendor village near the main Firefly Stage, surrounded by shoppers looking at handmade jewelry, headbands, flower crowns and music posters.

On Friday afternoon, people were stopping by to talk to organizers and make pins with comments like “Silence is not consent,” “I shouldn’t have to say ‘I’m not interested’ more than once,” and “Even if we are wearing nothing ... we still aren’t asking for it.” Some took their pins to wear and some left theirs and took someone else’s pin.

People were encouraged to take a sign with slogans like, “Consent matters,” with emojis commonly used as double entendres, and “Sexism is not very punk rock of you” and walk around the festival with it for an hour to see how others reacted — and earn some free swag from the group.

Among the people picking up and dropping off signs was Jenna Szczepanski, 20, of New York. She and her friends have been affected by sexual harassment and assault, which compelled her to carry a sign on Friday.

Reactions from fans were mixed, she said, with some who would read the sign and “didn’t get it” and some who saw it and kept walking. A few, however, saw it from a distance and ran over to give high-fives and chat.

Szczepanski was toting the sign with a male friend, which isn’t unusual, Arthur said. A lot of men are supportive of their mission. In fact, one of the campaign’s founders, Matt Walsh, was inspired to start the group after spending years in the punk scene.

And as Crews proves, men can be victims, too.

Crews said not just the music scene but the entertainment landscape in general can be a breeding ground for bad behavior.

“What’s wild is that there are people who have been tricked for years into thinking it’s part of the gig. Like, you have to all of a sudden give up all your self-respect in order to have this dream,” he said.

Not so, he and others said.

And in the wake of so many #MeToo stories, including from celebrities like Crews, people are paying attention.

The biggest difference Arthur has seen between now and when OurMusicMyBody was launched three years ago?

“They’re more likely to take us serious and listen now.”

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