NOAHFINNCE and Pinkshift hit out at Download Festival’s policy on trans fans’ toilet access

NOAHFINNCE and Pinkshift have hit out at Download Festival’s policy regarding toilet access for trans fans.

The rock and metal festival is set to return to its home of Donington Park, Leicestershire, next month – running between June 13-15. Green Day, Sleep Token and KoRn will all be first-time headliners, and other names on the bill include Weezer, Sex Pistols featuring Frank Carter, Jimmy Eat World, Poppy, Loathe, Jerry Cantrell and more.

With less than a month to go until the festival kicks off, NOAHFINNCE has taken to social media to call out the festival for upholding a policy that prohibits trans women from using women’s bathrooms, and trans men from using men’s facilities.

In the screenshot shared by the musician, seemingly from an email query to Download, the festival’s policy reads: “We are proud of the reputation the Download community has in terms of diversity, and will always look to promote the safety and comfort of all festival attendees including transgender and non-binary customers.

“We will be following the interim guidance issued by the Equalities and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) on 25 April 2025 here. Their guidance states that ‘trans women (biological men) should not be permitted to use the women’s facilities and trans men (biological women) should not be permitted to use the men’s facilities’”.

Writing over the top of the screenshot, NOAHFINNCE shared: “Hey @downloadfest what the fuck are you doing inviting trans people to play your festival but not allowing them the simple right of using the correct bathroom?”

Hey @DownloadFest what the fuck are you doing. How have you got the gall to invite trans people like me to play your festival and then ban them from using the toilet? If the only way we can piss is by outing ourselves then you’ve created an unsafe environment… pic.twitter.com/W0oLIa5P4U

— NOAHFINNCE (@noahfinnadams) May 27, 2025

“I had a great time playing last year but will not be attending again if I have to queue up for the ladies’ bathroom and my trans sisters have to risk outing themselves in the men’s bathroom. All this does is put trans people in danger,” he added. “If you’re playing @downloadfest, attending it or even just aware of it, say something about it.”

NOAHFINNCE, who publicly came out as a transgender man in 2017, continued in the caption, writing: “What the fuck are you doing? How have you got the gall to invite trans people like me to play your festival and then ban them from using the toilet? If the only way we can piss is by outing ourselves then you’ve created an unsafe environment.”

The policy outlined by Download organisers appears to relate to the UK Supreme Court ruling on April 16, in which judges unanimously ruled that the legal definition of a woman is based on biological sex under the Equality Act.

Another act to have called out Download for the policy regarding bathroom access for trans people are American rock band Pinkshift, who performed at the festival last year and took to Instagram Stories to call out the decision.

“Playing @downloadfest was fun last year but what fucking music festival polices gendered bathrooms?” they wrote. “That’s crazy and so unsafe, thanks @noahfinnce for being the only artist I’ve seen talk about this… if Download is part of your life then speak up, they think they can get away with discrimination in the ripe year of 2025”.

At time of writing, Download has not responded to the comments from NOAHFINNCE or Pinkshift. NME has reached out to festival organisers for comment regarding the policy.

As outlined by the Equality Human Rights Commission, the April ruling from the Supreme Court means that, in places open to the public, trans women shouldn’t use women’s facilities such as toilets.

BBC later reported that over 1,000 cultural figures then signed an open letter which claimed that the ruling “overlooks the need to protect trans, non-binary and intersex people from discrimination”. It also added that many leaders across the UK’s cultural sector were “unwilling” to police which toilets people choose to use.

Charli XCX, Self Esteem and Wolf Alice are among the many artists to have also signed an open letter of solidarity to the trans community from the UK music industry. On top of that, numerous figures in the entertainment world expressed their support for those affected. Those who have spoken out in support of the trans community include Scissor Sisters, Perfume Genius, Garbage, Rachel Chinouriri, JADE, Lambrini Girls and Billy Bragg.

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