Female DJs call out intimidation and sexual harassment – BBC News
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Female DJs call out ‘blatant misogyny’ and harassment in nightlife scene
Image source:
Megan Hill
Image caption:
Andrea Shearer was harassed by a man on Facebook
By
Abigail Taylor
and
Jamie McColgan, BBC News NI
Published
11 September 2026, 00:02 BST
Female DJs have described experiencing "blatant misogyny", harassment and intimidation while performing and said women are often treated as "guests" rather than professionals behind the decks.
Anna McAteer, Andrea Shearer, and Julie Dunne have all spoken about experiences ranging from unwanted interference with equipment and inappropriate comments to physical intimidation.
They said the problem reflects wider attitudes towards women working in nightlife, rather than being the fault of the venues and promoters themselves.
Shearer said she had "never really seen it happen to a male colleague".
"I just still think that there’s a bit of an attitude that women are somehow guests in the space rather than DJs that have earned their place there," she said. "Whereas whenever it comes to a man in the booth, it’s just not even a question."
She pointed out that women face a different level of scrutiny and unwanted attention simply because they were performing.
‘It’s just blatant misogyny’
Shearer recounted being subjected to online abuse earlier this year when a man from Belfast posted about her on Facebook, calling her a poor DJ and claiming she only received gigs because she was a woman.
"He also falsely claimed I performed sexual favours to obtain bookings," Shearer said. "It’s just insane to have someone kind of boil all of my hard work that I’ve done towards this down to who I’ve slept with."
She added, "And it’s just blatant misogyny."
She also highlighted comments aimed at female DJs on social media, where discussions about their music can be overshadowed by comments about their appearance.
"It’s 2026, grow up. She’s doing her job."
Image source: Anna McAteer
Image caption: Anna McAteer says one man even scrolled through her USB of music
McAteer, an up-and-coming Belfast DJ who has played at venues across Northern Ireland, including AVA Festival, said she had repeatedly experienced people entering the DJ booth or interfering with her set.
She described an incident where a man approached her from behind and started rewinding one of the decks during a recent performance.
"It was the fourth time this had happened in about a year," McAteer said.
On another occasion, she said a man had to be removed from the booth three times before returning and scrolling through the USB containing her music. "He was just insisting that he’s a DJ as well," she recalled.
McAteer described such behaviour as "very uncomfortable", adding, "and it’s just, in my opinion, not on."
Image source: Julie Dunne
Image caption: Julie Dunne now wonders if certain gigs are worth doing out of fear she’ll face harassment
‘Do I have to turn this gig down?’
For Julie Dunne, the experience of being intimidated while performing eventually led her to stop DJing in bars.
She recounted an incident during a Christmas gig that began when a man approached her to request a song she did not have.
"I was really polite to him and said, ‘Look, I apologise, I don’t have it on me’," Dunne said.
The man became aggressive and began making inappropriate comments about her appearance. "At that point," Dunne said, "I just thought, do I have to turn this gig down?"
