Society: "No means no": Awareness of the club scene is increasing

Anyone who wants to get into the "House of Yes" in New York will first be informed in a friendly way about the culture of the house.

Society: "No means no": Awareness of the club scene is increasing

Anyone who wants to get into the "House of Yes" in New York will first be informed in a friendly way about the culture of the house. Because in the trendy club in the Brooklyn district, things can sometimes be a little more revealing - but only with respect and consent.

"Agreement is everything, on and off the dance floor," it says. That's why it's always important to ask before making physical contact. And, "It's okay to say no in the House of Yes." To make sure that the clubbers who are queuing at the entrance on a wintry night have understood everything correctly, they are encouraged to join in a chorus: "No means no" and "Yes means yes".

Trained staff and code words

But not only in New York, but also in Germany, awareness is increasing: "Awareness is a topic that develops quickly, the sensitivity to it is great," says Victor Oswalt from the Network Clubs am Main, which includes 15 clubs from the Rhine -Main area have merged. However, data on the number of cases was not available. The concepts of the party or club operators are very individual. There are trained awareness officers or code words that you can use to report to the bar.

The Frankfurt club "Tanzhaus West" emphasizes that it will not tolerate any form of sexual abuse, abusive or sexist behavior, discrimination of any kind, racism, anti-Semitism, homophobia or other forms of violence. Anyone who feels harassed or has observed such situations can contact the staff at any time - even anonymously outside of club operations. In addition, two women have been installed as contact persons "who take the time for your story".

Awareness in times of

The topic also plays an important role in Berlin, the capital of club culture in Germany. For example, the Berlin Club Commission set up the "Awareness Academy" for issues relating to awareness, diversity and anti-discrimination.

"Of course it's a societal issue, and through public debates like

The academy offers the clubs concrete support for awareness work, for example through workshops. There are now inquiries from all over Germany. "This development is very positive," says Ahrend. "At the same time there are still big differences here, while some have been building knowledge and structures for years, there are also clubs that have not yet dealt with the topic at all." In Berlin, for example, the "Mensch Meier" or the "about blank" have long been paying special attention to the topic, and the "Tresor" and the "RSO" are also active in this area as the clubs reopen.

"Is Luisa here?"

"A lot has happened during the pandemic," explains Ahrend. "When things got quiet in the clubs, many took the time to train their employees intensively and build up in-house teams."

In Münster, Westphalia, the women's emergency hotline launched the "Luisa is here!" campaign back in 2016. launched, in which municipalities from all over Germany are now taking part. If women feel harassed, harassed or threatened in bars or clubs, they can answer the question "Is Luisa here?" contact the staff for immediate and discreet assistance.

The city of Wiesbaden is one of them. "The city takes care of everything that costs money," says the municipal women's representative Saskia Veit-Prang. But: "At the moment the response is not euphoric." So far, only four locations would participate. "Luisa ist hier!" started in the North Hessian district of Waldeck-Frankenberg. as early as 2018. "In general, the feedback is positive, but it is difficult to actually get the project into the bars and clubs," explains Beate Friedrich, the women's representative there.

With the current staff turnover, it is a challenge for the clubs to implement the free training courses. "But it's not enough to hang up the posters or lay out the flyers in the women's restroom," says Friedrich. "I hope that if everything returns to normal after Corona and more permanent staff work in the catering industry, the willingness of the operators will increase."

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