Trans Representation at Major U.S. Music Festivals
Out of 1,661 musicians:
At the beginning of 2024, Book More Women updated the way we calculate gender representation on music festival lineups. Instead of counting the percent of “acts” that include at least one woman or nonbinary member (the 2018 Method), we began counting each and every individual member of every act (the 2024 Method).
It was a huge undertaking, honestly. It took about 20 hours to completely research the Coachella lineup alone that year. But here’s why we did it:
For one, it allowed us to begin undoing the erasure of nonbinary musicians in our data. Nonbinary people are so often lumped in with women. This was the minimum we could do to address that in our own work and start to provide concrete numbers on nonbinary representation on festival stages.
It also gave us the ability to capture data on just how underrepresented transgender musicians are at music festivals.
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To take a wide look, we combined data from 10 major U.S. multi-genre music festivals: Austin City Limits, Bonnaroo, Boston Calling, Bottle Rock, Bourbon & Beyond, Coachella, Governors Ball, Hangout, Lollapalooza, and Outside Lands.
We tallied the members of every artist playing these festivals (counting each only once, even if they appeared on multiple lineups). There were a total of 776 acts. Across those acts, 1,661 individual musicians were counted and researched.
Here’s what we found:
Of the 1,661 individual musicians booked to play the biggest music festivals in 2024:
1,277 were cis men
363 were cis women
16 were nonbinary
3 were trans women
0 were trans men
Of the one thousand six hundred sixty-one musicians booked across these ten major festivals in 2024, three are transgender.
What you can do:
If you are a human: Learn how to be an active ally and how to interrupt transphobia when you encounter it. Donate to trans individuals, trans-led orgs, and mutual aid fund when you can. Learn about anti-trans legislation, call legislators, and show up to vote.
Guide to Being An Ally from PFLAG
Transformations Projects: Informing the public about and advocating against the anti-trans legislative crisis in the U.S
Mutual Aid: Nashville | New York | Twin Cities
If you are A&R , a promoter, playlister, journalist, etc: Make room for transgender people in your work. Expand beyond your usual circles. Offer trans artists funding, a stage, a mic, or a platform - not as a favor, but because their work belongs there.
BFTA Collective Directory
HRC’s Guide to Reporting on Trans Individuals
Sign the upcoming Trans Charter for the music industry
If you run a physical event space: Ensure your spaces are safe, accessible, and welcoming for trans musicians, fans, and staff. Post clear codes of conduct and provide training for all staff.
Workplace Courses from PLFAG’s Straight for Equality
European Festival Assc. Diversity Toolset
Sign the upcoming Trans Charter for the music industry
If you are a fan and listener: Seek out artists that are not handed to you. Trans musicians are making incredible art. Don’t let an algorithm be the reason you miss it.
Bandcamp tags
Transa compilation by Red Hot Org
If you are a trans artist: We see you. We support you. Please reach out any time and let us know what we can do for you.
Microgrants from Trans LifeLine
2STGE+ Survival Guide Zine from Trans Resistance Network
Helpline lookup from Born This Way Foundation