LoveLoud Responds to Report of Trans Bathroom Discrimination

LoveLoud, a music festival that supports LGBT youth, aimed to create a safe space for queer people Saturday in Salt Lake City.

However, at least one trans woman said she was made to feel unwelcome.

Bobbee Trans Mooremon -- a board member at QueerMeals, which provides meals and other services to the LGBT community of Provo, Utah -- was told she was "in the wrong bathroom" by a male volunteer at Rice-Eccles Stadium, reports KSTU, a local Fox affiliate.

According to Mooremon's account, the volunteer told her that she was in a space reserved for men. He then directed her to two gender-inclusive facilities located elsewhere in the arena -- a large venue that drew over 30,000 people for the event.

Mooremon noted that the incident was at odds with the mission of LoveLoud, which was founded by Imagine Dragons front man Dan Reynolds in 2017 in response to the suicide crisis among LGBT youth.

"I felt very frustrated and very unsafe," Mooremon told The Salt Lake Tribune. "It was a big event for LGBTQ people, and this concert was supposed to be addressing things like that and making it better for us."

Mooremon told KSTU that the encounter was not hostile. Nevertheless, after relaying the story to colleagues at Queer Meals, she and her organization decided to leave LoveLoud and not accept donations. This year, the festival raised over $1 million for LGBT groups like the Trevor Project, Encircle, and the Tegan and Sara Foundation.

"We are not angry at LoveLoud. We are actually trying to work with them to make sure that next year's is even better," said Mooremon.

Another LGBT group, Provo Pride, also left the concert after the bathroom incident. Brianna Cluck, a spokesperson, said LoveLoud had assured them beforehand that every restroom at the concert would be gender-inclusive and that volunteers would be trained on trans issues. Upon arriving at the stadium and learning that only two gender-inclusive restrooms were available, Provo Pride posted a map to alert followers to these locations.

"The safety and respect of trans and nonbinary people, and the accessibility and respect of disabled people, are among our top priorities," said Provo Pride in a Sunday statement on Facebook. The group also sent a message to LoveLoud: "We fully anticipate a statement from LoveLoud, and we wish them the best as they work to make sure these issues don't repeat themselves next year."

LoveLoud did indeed respond Monday on Facebook with a statement.

"We were saddened to hear that a few of our LGBTQ+ community members faced discrimination at last night's festival," it read. "We have a zero-tolerance policy toward any behavior that makes anyone feel unsafe or unwelcome."

"As an organization dedicated to creating safe and affirming events for our LGBTQ+ friends and families, our staff, volunteers, and charity partners were asked to participate in an LGBTQ+ cultural competency training," the statement continued. "We are committed to learning from our mistakes and will continuously work to improve the lives of LGBTQ+ people in our community and beyond.

To determine "where we excelled and where we have room to grow," festival officials encouraged attendees to send feedback to info@loveloudfest.com.