zomg! why is girlfest so cranky?

[owly]

edit: i just received a long email of apology and from nicci, the owner of the event. i appreciate this and felt it was important to add this. she did not write the email below. a paid worker from girlfest did. ok!

i wrote an email with feedback to the organisers of girlfest.

-----Original Message-----
From: Alana Jonze
Sent: Tuesday, 14 November 2006 1:26 AM
To: feedback@girlfest.org
Subject: Feedback from the Girlfest Website

hi.

i just wanted to comment on this statement:

Her response was simply, "They wouldn't want to miss it because for the
first time in Australia's history, the lesbian community will be coming
together to party."

1. this is untrue because lesbians have been creating and attending
their own national and local festivals in australia since the 80s.
perhaps even earlier, with hundreds upon hundreds of lesbians attending.
2. the lesbian community won't be coming together to party because not
all lesbians can afford the hundreds of dollars it will cost to attend
for a two day party.

i just wanted to point out that you're not the only lesbians who make
community happen, and more importantly, your prices really prevent most
lesbians from coming. also, whenever i see advertising for girlfest,
it's very sexual and very skinny. i remember seeing flesh in LOTL (i
think) advertising for you. it was just a bit tasteless. yes, we're
sexual, but why the need for flesh? it kind of seemed like you were
advertising to men. and i never saw any images of larger sized wimmin
associated with girlfest. this makes me feel like my fat sisters don't
get welcomed or included.

yes. ok. i apologize if this is incoherent, but i just wanted to get out
some of my thoughts before i sleep...

thanks and good luck,
alana jonze
http://hejira.org

and they (the girlfest organisers) threw a tanty and sent this back to me. i was a bit shocked because i'd actually sent them feedback in the hope that it might be considered, rather than just tossed in the bin as trite and thoughtless abuse.

i particularly like the last paragraph when they said "once again I think you should do a bit of homework on what things cost these days and you would see that $250 is cheap for what you are getting." errr... no offense girlfest, but i'm not an idiot. i know how much events cost, and i know that events can be run cheaper if needs be. they've only has one gathering, and it ran at a loss. my homework says that maybe running at a loss isn't sustainable? my homework also says that $250 isn't that great for two days of entertainment. but that's just my homework. for $250, i can live for a couple of weeks. yeah hi. i'm a real person! who are you? so anyway... here's the rather unfriendly and accusatory email i woke up to today. super dramatic. very self indulgent. i just thought i would share it with a few dykes here on LJ to show you how unfriendly they've been to me, after they receive feedback that they themselves ask for. also ps, if anyone can show me photos of fatgirls, zafitgs, lesbians of all ages and poor dykes attending girlfest from 2006, please: i would love to see them to know how wrong i am.

Hi Alana, I am sure you must feel a lot better getting all that off your
chest, it is a shame you dislike us so much when you have not spoken or meet
any of us. Sorry we are not what you are looking for in an event, but we
here at Girlfest have always said Girlfest is for anyone that wants to
attend, but is never going to be for everyone.

Girlfest is just another option in the big world for those women that it
attracts and for those it doesn't then they will find other avenues to go
down.

As for the fat comments really you should know your homework on people that
work at Girlfest, and then you would not pass judgment just so quick. If you
went to our website you would see in the pictures from Girlfest 06 that
there where many varying sized, ages and financial backgrounds of women at
Girlfest having an awesome time and felt like the belonged, in a safe and
friendly environment which is what Girlfest is about.

You know it never ceases to amaze me that people feel the need to abuse
someone or give them a mouth full about what they think on many levels of
puling someone down. Instead they could say not my thing but good on you for
all the hours and money that gets poured into an event like this. And the
fact that we are doing it all over again because 2000 women have an awesome
time.

Thanks but no thanks possibly would have been sufficed.

As for ticket prices, well I will argue this point with anyone anywhere
anytime. The price of $250 is well and truly under what we should be
charging for what you get and the quality of artist over 3 days not 2 that
you had mentioned. Once again I think you should do a bit of homework on
what things cost these days and you would see that $250 is cheap for what
you are getting.