'I couldn't see single thing': Disabled Harry Styles fan 'gutted' over 'discriminative' seating arrangement at Love On Tour concert
QUEENSLAND, AUSTRALIA: At Harry Styles' Queensland show on the night of February 28, a fan who is disabled was upset because she was seated in a spot where she couldn't see the stage. Dominique Jazzmin wrote on Facebook that she had been eager to attend the event but was "gutted" because she had been placed in a spot where she was "unable to see the screens, as well as the stage."
"If I'm completely honest I have cried more in the last few days than I have in the last year. I was heading into Harry Styles 'Love On Tour' concert at Heritage Bank Stadium with immense trepidation and intense anxiety," she explained.
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'We are in 2023 and 'inclusion' is still not 'inclusive' enough'
Dominique claimed that when she requested seats that were close to the stage, she was informed that the 'A' reserve seating was the most wheelchair accessible. "I was grateful to be going to the concert at all so accepted the fact that I wouldn't be as close as I had been wishing for," she continued.
She went on to explain, "Once we arrived at Heritage Bank Stadium and were through security we went straight to our seats. Initially I thought that I would be able to see the screens, but as the stadium began to fill with thousands of fans and the minute that Harry appeared on stage all of my worst fears were confirmed within 2 seconds. I could not see a single thing. The moment everyone stood up in front of me my view was completely obscured. I was unable to see either sides of the screens, as well as the stage, this remained for the entirety of the concert."
"My support worker approached security and the seating manager and asked if we could be moved but was told that we would encounter the same issue no matter where we moved to, I wouldn't be able to see anything. I was gutted. Devastated and utterly destroyed beyond my comprehension."
All disabled individuals should have the "right access to public venues, including concerts," according to Dominique. "The level of discrimination shown by Heritage Bank Stadium was extremely palpable that night and simply not good enough. We are in 2023 and 'inclusion' is still not 'inclusive' enough, unfortunately," she continued. "Being unable to simply see the very thing you pay for only due to the fact that you are disabled and in a wheelchair is inexcusable and unacceptable. Most other people that were present at the concert that night, had easy access and visibility to all screens except those that were in wheelchairs. That is simply unfair. We pay the same price as every other person and have the same right to enjoy the concert."
Chloé Hayden was denied access to sensory area at a Harry Styles concert
This incident comes after Melbourne's Marvel Stadium came under fire last week from 'Heartbreak High' actress Chloé Hayden, who said she was denied entrance to the venue's sensory area. The 25-year-old actress, who has autism spectrum disorder (ASD), said security turned down her request for entrance to the room on February 24 while she was at a Harry Styles concert. "Hey @marvelstadium reminder you cannot preach inclusivity and then not let me into the sensory room because you decided I don't look autistic enough," she began. "How goddamn disappointing the same venue has proven flying its woke flag and ticking the disability box is where its values begin and end," she added.