A female comedian has said sexual harassment is rampant in the comedy industry in Ireland and revealed that a number of female, male and trans comedians have
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Irish comedians have banded together to create Comedy Safety Standards (CSS), a new organisation campaigning to create a safer and more inclusive comedy scene in Ireland. We caught up with comedian Alison Spittle to find out more.
In June 2020, Twitter feeds around Ireland were set alight with debates, allegations, and revelations surrounding sexual misconduct within the Irish comedy circuit.
As women shared their stories of gaslighting, sexism, and abuse, many comics used their own personal platforms to offer words of solidarity, but the incident ultimately highlighted the lack of formal guidance and support available to victims. There s no HR department in comedy, Alison agrees, speaking over the phone. There s basically a whisper network which, unfortunately, didn t reach enough people nor did it protect people.
Last modified on Mon 22 Feb 2021 06.18 EST
Irish comedian Ruth Hunter started standup in 2015. She immediately noticed âeveryday sexismâ â male comperes introducing performers by commenting on their breasts, all-male lineups â but was unsure how to challenge it.
Over the summer of 2020, now in Glasgow, Hunter followed the news as sexual harassment allegations against men in Irish and UK comedy were shared online. âSomeone who I thought was grand turned out to be a major creep and it unlocked something,â Hunter says. âYou might be threatening your own career by talking about this stuff, but I donât care. The stakes are too high.â