What to do if you get sexually harassed in a nightclub

If mainstream clubbing still doesn’t seem an option, there are nights where you're guaranteed zero bullshit and only great tunes. In the UK, pioneering female-led collectives such as Resis'dance, Meat Free, SIREN and UNITI are shaping a new clubbing culture that prioritise the voices and experience of women and LGBTQ people. In the US, trans and non-binary people and queer femmes party at Macri Park’s Sissy club night. GHE20G0TH1K is for queer and trans people of colour.

At some of these parties – like SIREN or Resis’dance – you'll even find dedicated safe spaces crews patrolling the venue to make sure everyone's comfortable and having a good time. It's a proactive response to the problem of harassment.

"One of Resis’dance’s main priorities is to create a safe space where trans, non-binary, people of colour, and women can feel comfortable and safe," Resis'dance explain. "We do this by creating a safer spaces crew who walk around our nights providing support to anybody that feels threatened, harassed, unsafe or uncomfortable." They go on, "We believe in smashing the club patriarchy, and want bodies to feel free to be themselves without the threat of the aggressive male gaze."

Everyone is entitled to go out and have a great time, regardless of their gender identity, sexual orientation or the way they look. Dancefloors are microcosms of our culture: they’re spaces where we come together and form new mini-communities. Allowing sexual harassment to continue unchecked devalues the entire clubbing experience for all of us, which sucks, because really we’re all just out for one thing: To have a fucking good time.

*Name has been changed

Sirin Kale is a Staff Writer at Broadly and a freelance dance music journalist. Follow her on Twitter

Dilraj Mann is a freelance illustrator. His website is here