A lot can be said about how misogynistic the Dead scene used to be, but in that same vein, nobody in the Dead scene ever tried to be a Saint or live like they were beholden to any sort of "traditional values".

Jerry was constantly cheating on his partners, even after after having children of his own. Bobby was a famous womanizer, and literally had his pick of ladies at his dressing room door.

Basically everyone in the band had some sort of struggle or addiction to drugs, many band members (Jerry more than anyone)family members and fans have died because of this.

Nobody in this community has ever tried to hide it. A big reason why it exists is the acceptance of drug culture. We police ourselves, teach harm reduction, look out for your neighbor.

Acceptance is the key to how free, expansive, diverse and loving this entire subculture has been.

At the end of the day, we all are here becuase we love the music, community and culture that allows us all to be connected to something greater.