Veröffentlicht
Wed, Nov 16, 2022, 18:35
- The management team will run operations going forward, according to a statement published yesterday.
UK sex-positive party Crossbreed has cancelled three upcoming events and confirmed the permanent unseating of its founder, Alex Warren (AKA Kiwi).
Published yesterday, November 15th, on Crossbreed's private Instagram account, the statement said the party's management team had this week been "made aware of some serious allegations put forward on an anonymous meme page against Alex [...] These allegations came as a huge shock to us."
According to the post, Warren subsequently took the decision to step down permanently and hand control of operations to the management team. Earlier today, Warren, who uses they/them pronouns, published their own statement on their private Instagram account.
"The most serious accusations made on that page weren't specific," they wrote, "but due to their nature and the impact it's having on the Crossbreed team and the wider community, I have decided to step down from my role at Crossbreed and all involvement with Crossbreed moving forward. I'll be giving the brand and all ownership over to the team that is running it."
Crossbreed's statement also confirmed the cancellation of three upcoming events this weekend and next in London and Manchester. Corsica Studios, which was due to host a party this Sunday, affirmed the decision via its own post.
The allegations against Warren and Crossbreed surfaced over the weekend via an anonymous Instagram account, which has since been taken down. The account was initially set up in response to two posts on Crossbreed's official Instagram page on November 10th. The first post featured an infographic about why making assumptions about straight-passing sex was "biphobic and transphobic."
The second post apologised for the first, which was met with fierce backlash from the trans and gay communities. Both posts received dozens of comments, all of which are now hidden because Crossbreed turned comments off.
In their statement, Warren said the anonymous account posted "some inaccurate and false stories" as well as "some very serious allegations."
"I acknowledge how much harm is happening right now, and part of this is how publicly this is taking place," they wrote. "This is many people's lives, many of whom have had no part in the harm that I am said to have done. Please remember that when sharing."
They added: "The allegations made are serious and I need time to properly investigate what they are, process and understand them. Should there be anyone who feels harmed by me who feels safe coming forward I'm open to hearing from anyone I might have harmed, directly or indirectly. I aim to hold myself accountable, centre the well-being of those close to me who I love dearly and grow as a person."
Founded in 2019, Crossbreed combined a sex-positive ethos with house and techno bookings. It mostly ran in London and Manchester at clubs such as The Cause, fabric, Colour Factory and Hidden. A record label also launched in 2019.
Read Crossbreed and Warren's statements in full and the final post from the anonymous Instagram account. We'll report more on this story as it unfolds.
Correction, November 16th: A previous version of this article said Crossbreed deleted comments on their Instagram posts. This was incorrect. They turned comments off, which means they're hidden.
Correction, November 16th: A previous version of this article said Crossbreed deleted comments on their Instagram posts. This was incorrect. They turned comments off, which means they're hidden.