Queer Irish artist SexyTadhg has taken to social media to denounce displays of homophobia witnessed at Electric Picnic, calling for increased security to protect LGBTQ+ performers and festival goers.

Electric Picnic returned to Stradbally from August 28 to 31, welcoming approximately 80,000 attendees to one of the biggest festivals yet. SexyTadhg was one of the many queer performers featured in this year’s lineup, which included a lengthy list of LGBTQ+ acts and events.

Taking to TikTok after the festival, SexyTadhg posted a video calling out instances of homophobia that queer performers and attendees have experienced at Electric Picnic.

“The homophobia at Electric Picnic needs to be addressed, because I’ve heard so many stories from festival-goers, friends of mine who are just there chilling and friends of mine who are working, who are go-go dancers, getting abuse. Getting verbal abuse, getting intimidated, getting faces pulled on them and being physically assaulted while they’re doing their job,” the artist said.

SexyTadhg went on to recount episodes in which certain individuals who were among the audience at queer stages started to pull faces and became rude and abusive to the performers. “Why is there no security at this place?” they asked.

Highlighting the need for increased security to protect both performers and festival-goers, the musician added: “Because whatever they’re doing to a performer, they’re gonna be doing 10 times worse at the campsite, they’re gonna be doing 10 times worse at the gigs.”

@dortyquaer

LET PEOPLE DO THEIR DAMN JOB!!! #ep #electricpicnic

♬ original sound – SexyTadhg

“If the queer performers and the queer attendees of the festival are not feeling safe, we won’t go. We won’t be there, so your festival will be sh*te, ‘cause there’ll be no queer people there to give it the energy and to give it the brightness.”

Concluding their message, the artist said: “Don’t assault people, don’t physically abuse people, have a bit of cop on, have a bit of empathy and let people do their job.”

SexyTadhg is not the first public figure to call out homophobia experienced at Electric Picnic. Last year, queer Irish influencer Cian Griffin, better known on socials under the name Gaylgeoirí, also spoke out on the issue, talking about several episodes of explicit homophobia he experienced while attending the festival.

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