CONTENT WARNING: The following article contains discussions and descriptions of sexual assault.
triple j’s Bridget Hustwaite has taken to Twitter to reveal that she was sexually assaulted at an Adam Newling gig she was attending at the weekend in Melbourne.
In the post thread, she revealed that during the gig, she got “a dude kicked out for touching [her] ass and another chick’s boob.”
In the series of follow-up tweets, the Good Nights host thanked the door and bar staff for acting on the incident with haste.
She then linked to an article she wrote two years ago for triple j which focussed on sexual harassment at gigs. In the article, she detailed an instance where she was sexually assaulted at a Northeast Party House gig back in 2014.
“How do we stamp this behaviour out and make gigs a safe space for all?” She wrote in the article.
“Well, I don’t know if there is a single answer but I do think it starts from the bottom. It starts with your mates, and calling them out if you see them acting in a way that’s making someone else feel uncomfortable.”
“If you see a stranger do it and you’re uncomfortable confronting them yourselves, call security or tell the bar staff. Thankfully venues and events are more across these things now.”
She finished off the thread by pre-emptively pointing out what she was wearing, in order to hopefully dispel any trolls.
“I also want to make a point out of the pathetic response we sometimes get regarding our clothes, being told “well you shouldn’t wear such a short skirt” etc. It literally doesn’t matter. I had black pants, a green jumper & a brown coat. I looked like a nanna and was still groped.”
Read the full thread below.
Adam Newling has since commented on the incident in a post to Instagram, where he apologised to those who were affected by the “drunken man”.
“It was brought to our knowledge after the fact that at our first show in Melbourne there was a drunken man who made some people feel uncomfortable and who was eventually booted from the venue,” he wrote.
“I’m so sorry to anyone who was made to feel this way, it truly breaks my heart to know that this happened at our show.”
“Our shows are supposed to be a safe place filled with love and comradery [sic] among like minded people who share a love for music not an excuse for indecent behaviour.”
He continued” I wish I had known sooner of the events that had taken place and If I was perhaps more vigilant I could have done more to prevent and protect. I will do everything in my power to never let this happen again.
“Please get in contact with me if you were someone made to feel this way if you wish, I would love to talk to you. I have clocked who this person is now and he will never attend one of our shows ever again.”
Big ups to the door and bar staff at workers club for acting so quickly ♥️
— Bridget Hustwaite (@BHustwaite) November 20, 2021
I also want to make a point out of the pathetic response we sometimes get regarding our clothes, being told “well you shouldn’t wear such a short skirt” etc.
It literally doesn’t matter. I had black pants, a green jumper & a brown coat. I looked like a nanna and was still groped.— Bridget Hustwaite (@BHustwaite) November 20, 2021
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If you need assistance, 1800 RESPECT – the National Sexual Assault, Domestic and Family Violence Counselling Service — can be reached on 1800 737 732.
