Misogyny and Sexism are still rife at the Edinburgh Fringe 2024

Edinburgh Fringe, a creative boiling pot of dreams and ideas. A perfect platform to promote new work and discover new acts. A stomping ground for the well knowns to dip their toes in and make scattered appearances much to the delight of everyone involved (I'm particularly excited Hannah Gadsby is here). From other acts, crew, box office, food stalls, flyerers, audience members the city is a hive of activity brimming with honey with the chance of a potential sting... What is brilliant is there are a lot more female comedians and performers on the circuit and diversity feels more represented than ever. However, it is still very much a man's world. An experience from this fringe has flagged this up again sadly, when the only reviewer that has come to see my show thus far wanted to sleep with me, despite me making it very clear I am happily married and a lesbian. This put me in a very awkward position given that a review would help me reach a wider audience. My aim of bringing 'Tick My Box' to the Edinburgh Fringe was (and still is) to bring the show to new audiences to develop the ideas and characters for a potential sitcom. With encouragement from Ted Dowd (producer Gavin & Stacey) I have started the process adapting my show into this format. So far I have written a 'treatment' and a pilot episode ready to go for the right people. I have made sure to provide varied roles for women and diversity so having the necessary influential people view the piece is paramount to my success for the run. I considered letting the incident go so as not to mar my overall positive experience but when chatting to my Fringe housemates, brother and Mum who said "Oh darling, some men are *****". She then recounted a story about a "lass" on the train being harrassed by two men, the woman having told them politely that she was a lesbian. They continued on, when my Mum stepped in to diffuse the situation by announcing "oh I'm sure you are converted now!" My Mum and her new friend found power in laughter. Going back to my situation, all would have been OK if he'd accepted my decline (and repulsion) for his "man love" (totally demeaning my sexuality and belittling my marriage), however, on saying goodbye he tried to kiss me on the lips. On reflection, I realised this was not something to ignore. Had I been perhaps younger, single (not to mention straight), and at an earlier ambitious stage in my career, perhaps my resolve would not have been as resolute. This behaviour must be called out. The fact there are so many shows dealing with personal trauma speaks volumes about our society. 'James Barr: Sorry I Hurt Your Son (Said My Ex To My Mum)', is important viewing, demonstrating abuse of power is not limited to women. Anna Morris, 'Son of a Bitch', highlights how social media vitriol 'the keyboard warriors of contempt' can make sweeping judgements without the full context, exploring the impactful ripple effect. No spoilers here. We have a responsibility to call out bad behaviours when full knowledge has been gleaned. There has been a lot of misogyny in reviews that should also be held to account. Michelle Shaughnessy being described as having a "heavily injected face", Amy Mason described as "plain and mumsy" and both these are reviews written by other women! We still have a long way to go, and I want to be part of that change. As Anita Hill stated in The Hollywood Reporter earlier this year: "The days of the casting couchcan never be tolerated, and victims should not be left alone to solve what is a community problem". On another note, I have had wonderful responses from my audiences and I am so grateful to them for taking time out of their days to spend with me and my silly hour of character comedy which has been flatteringly likened to the late Victoria Wood on several occasions. With less than one week to go, I'm looking forward to going home to my wife of 16 years, 14 year old daughter and my beloved dogs Betty and Bobby. Sian Hutchinson: Tick My Box is on at 1pm at Shanghai at Le Monde, George Street James Barr: Sorry I Hurt Your Son (Said My Ex To My Mum) is on at 5:15pm at Underbelly, Bristo Square Anna Morris: Son Of A B*tch is on at 6:10pm at Summerhall