Concerts are awesome. You get to see your favorite band, you’re surrounded by people who share the same interests as you; it’s great. But this isn’t always the case for women. Music is a predominantly male community. And when a woman enters a predominantly male space, her safety is put at risk.

Recently, the punk scene and its artists have come under fire after several accounts of artists sexually abusing female fans and taking advantage of them have come to light. In December of last year, pop punk musician Jake Mcelfresh, better known as Front Porch Step, was exposed for soliciting sex from underaged fans. Alex Gaskarth, frontman of the band All Time Low, in a recent interview spoke out against this issue. “Start prioritizing and remember what you’re here for,” he says. “You’re not here to f**k around with girls. There is a lot of attention put on people who are on stage and it’s very easy to get wrapped up in the wrong things [and] be there for the wrong reasons.” This event sparked a huge discussion among music fans and women alike.

Women are not respected in or by the music industry. Female artists constantly have to fight to get on stage and to be taken seriously. Women at shows are expected to be on guard or face violence.

A popular issue among female concert goers is inappropriate and unwelcome touching. Any female who has been to a punk rock show knows what I’m talking about. The creepy guy behind you suddenly thinks it’s okay for him to place his hands on your hips or shoulders. I myself have even experienced some groping from crowd surfers.

A shining moment for women in the punk scene was when Kathleen Hannah, lead singer of Bikini Kill, called out, “girls to the front!” Hannah knew what it was like to be a woman at a rock show. Even though she wasn’t aware, she was making a huge leap for women everywhere.

But punk music isn’t the only genre at fault, no no, this is a problem no matter what music you listen to. Country music also has earned this reputation for putting female fans in danger. Tim McGraw, for example, slapped a female fan across the face when she tried to get on stage. While the attendee was at fault, McGraw’s first reaction should not have been violence.

There are countless numbers of rape cases from women who were taken advantage of during a concert. This is inexcusable. It doesn’t matter what a female concert goer is wearing, it doesn’t matter how much she has had to drink, it doesn’t matter if she danced with you and it doesn’t matter if you are pressed up against each other. None of these are invitations. But that is for another conversation for another time.

Sadly, this isn’t the only issue for women and the music scene. Female musicians also have to fight for their respect. Female fronted bands are not taken seriously. Their singers usually get questions like “are you really in the band?” “are you the merch girl?” or most commonly,“are you a groupie trying to sleep with the band?” There is a notion that as a woman you have to prove yourself. You have to show that you can run with the wolves. A popular female fronted band, Paramore, had this problem. The band was often brushed off at the beginning of their career, and Williams was often the focus of sexual harassment. She recalled in an interview with Rolling Stone that while playing in a bar in Philadelphia, a guy yelled at her to take her shirt off. This is a common problem at shows for female fronted bands.

I go to shows for the same reasons men do. I cough up money, wait in line for hours in the cold, get beat up by crowd surfers and moshers, all to see a band. I do not go to shows to find a man. I do not go to shows to find someone to sleep with. When I funnel myself into that arena or theater and squish myself up against hundreds of other people, I expect to be treated like a person. My mother should not have to worry about me getting assaulted when I go to a rock show. It’s about time we break through the daydream of a punk utopia where everyone is treated as equal and open our eyes.