Bloodstock Booker “Steps Back” From the Festival Following Backlash for Transphobic Comments
Vicky Hungerford, one of the main talent bookers for the major U.K. extreme metal festival Bloodstock, will “step back” from the festival after coming under intense fire for transphobic comments she made on social media.
As first reported by MetalSucks earlier today, Hungerford took to social media on October 14 to share her disdain for people specifying their preferred pronouns in their email signature or social media profile, a practice particularly common in the transgender and nonbinary communities but growing in popularity amongst cisgender folks as well (often as a show of solidarity with the trans community).
Fans were quick to express outrage, with many noting the hypocrisy of Bloodstock’s close association to the Sophie Lancaster Foundation, an organization dedicated to “stamp[ing] out prejudice, hatred and intolerance everywhere” (particularly in alternative spheres of culture).
Hungerford soon deleted the tweet and offered multiple apologies. But the sincerity of her remorse was called into question after the emergence of screenshots of older, equally transphobic social media posts by Hungerford. These included a 2018 post in which Hungerford whines about “gender neutral bullshit” and asserts that “you can identify with whatever the fuck you think you are it still doesn’t mean you are one.”
In protest, one Bloodstock entertainment manager resigned from his job, while the Bloodstock Twitch team halted streaming.
Since then, Dr. Sylvia Lancaster, CEO of the Sophie Lancaster Foundation and the mother of Sophie Lancaster, has released a statement condemning Hungerford’s comments, vowing to “[meet] with Bloodstock to talk about our future relationship.”
Subsequently, Bloodstock’s organizers have announced that “For now, Vicky has taken a step back from Bloodstock Festival effective immediately, and will be taking the time to properly educate herself for a better understanding.”
You can read both Dr. Lancaster’s full statement and Bloodstock’s full statement below.
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