"It's easy for predators to operate in tattoo spaces": Bristol artist calls for mandatory DBS checks
The Draw the Line campaign hopes to address misconduct and protect vulnerable clients
Bristol-based tattoo artist Grace Neutral is calling for significant changes within the tattoo industry, highlighting "an epidemic" of misogyny and sexual misconduct.
Grace is backing a campaign for mandatory Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) checks for licensed tattoo artists in England, drawing from her own experiences of coercion and assault as a young trainee.
"It’s very easy for predators to operate in these kind of spaces," said Grace.
"There is a lot of toxic men in tattooing and a lot of abusive men, so we need to do something about it, right?
"I hadn’t had the best upbringing when it came to men. I was a pretty traumatised 18-year-old just looking to pursue my passion... I fell into certain dynamics and traps with men in studios that I worked in."
"The shops that I’d worked at weren’t these random scenarios. There’s a lot of predatory behaviour and there’s a lot of misogynistic behaviour and coercion, sexual assaults, or people just trying to bully because you’re a girl and they think they can set their authority."
Grace’s experiences in male-dominated tattoo studios motivated her to open her own space, aiming to make it safer for herself and other women.
"I don’t want paedophiles and men who beat women. I don’t want them in tattoo spaces... If you’ve got that in your CV, I don’t think you deserve to be able to practise the sacred art of tattooing," she said.
Grace has joined more than 10,000 others in signing a petition urging change:
"We call on the government to introduce mandatory DBS checks for all licensed tattoo artists in England. Wales has shown this approach works."
Grace added, "If there’s an epidemic of toxic behaviour and sexual misconduct within tattooing, then it’s the other men within the space who don’t conduct themselves like that who need to stand up and make it safe."