Feast Festival boss suspended ‘for being too straight’

Adelaide’s Feast Festival has suspended its general manager in what insiders claim is an attack on her sexuality.

Feast Festival general manager Cassandra Liebeknecht outside Raj House in Adelaide, the festival’s new year-round home, before her controversial suspension. Picture: Calum Robertson

Adelaide’s Feast Festival, which celebrates South Australia’s LGBTQI community, has suspended its general manager in what insiders claim is an attack on her sexuality.

The festival’s 10-member board met on Friday to oust Cassandra Liebeknecht, who is straight, over allegations of unprofessional conduct.

Four directors resigned in protest after the meeting which suspended Ms Liebeknecht on full pay, pending an investigation.

Festival insiders said the allegations were frivolous and the board had ambushed Ms Liebeknecht after listening to “squeaky wheels” within the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and intersex community who did not want a straight woman leading a queer organisation.

The move leaves the 20-year-old festival in doubt six weeks ahead of its opening, planned to be headlined by pop diva Dannii Minogue, and one month after Feast announced a permanent “queer arts and cultural hub” in Adelaide.

Ms Liebeknecht said the allegations against her are false and she will consider making a complaint about discrimination.

“I’ve sought legal advice. There’s been enough slander against me. I’m very concerned in regards to any further slander,” she said. “I’m concerned about my future and my family and what this might do to me.”

Ms Liebeknecht said a small cohort had been opposed to her leading the festival since she started the job in 2014 and she had been a target of social media ­attacks.

“There’s a lot of stuff on Facebook. In regards to discrimination, being the general manager of Feast ... it has not been easy,’’ she said.

“I’ve been spat on, I’ve had people scare me, I’ve had people contact me at work anonymously, saying ‘I know where your children go to school’,’’ she said.

“There was also a gentleman who continues to this day to slander me for my sexuality. It just gets vicious.”

The festival received more than $200,000 in South Australian government funding this year. Feast Festival chairman Joshua Rayner said the board was not in a position to comment about internal investigations but confirmed he had accepted the resignations of four directors.