Schroedinger's WFC panels

[swan_tower]

Depending on which corners of the internet you’ve been paying attention to today, you may or may not have seen the useless and offensive piece of garbage that is the harassment policy for World Fantasy this year. It translates to “unless you are subjected to a criminally prosecutable instance of harassment, we’re not going to do anything about it. Play nice, guys!”

This is unacceptable.

And I’ve told the con runners as much. It’s barely a week and a half to the con; their ability to fix it is, at this point, limited. But they can at least do something. Me, I can’t get a refund on my plane ticket or my convention membership, so that cost is sunk. But if nothing improves by the time I get there, then I will not participate in programming — and I have told the con runners as much.

Because here’s the thing. It turns out I’m actually on two panels, not one; when I posted my schedule yesterday, the second one had vanished from the program, but it’s back now. That panel? Is on violence. And I simply cannot stomach the irony of sitting behind a microphone talking about violence, while knowing the event I’m attending has abdicated its responsibility to protect the safety of its attendees.

This isn’t rocket science. Many other cons have instituted policies against harassment and procedures to enforce same. I’m serving on the board of an organization that is, right now, dealing with a very complex allegation of harassment. I know what a good policy looks like, and this is so far from that, you’d need a telescope to see it from here. Their excuses for why they can’t do better are laughable. Their failure to even communicate this so-called “policy” to all of their staff is indicative of massive dysfunction. And if they didn’t see this storm coming, they’ve been willfully blind.

I will not support this kind of crap by lending my voice and my thoughts to their program. If they fix it, I’ll go on as scheduled. If they don’t, I’ll be in the bar. And we can have a nice chat about how “violence” doesn’t always involve blood.

Originally published at Swan Tower. You can comment here or there.

Comments

[sovay]

Depending on which corners of the internet you’ve been paying attention to today, you may or may not have seen the useless and offensive piece of garbage that is the harassment policy for World Fantasy this year.

No, I hadn't. Thanks for the link. Fear of a libel suit is not sufficient reason to leave a convention's attendees unprotected.

[swan-tower.livejournal.com]

The whole "fear of libel" thing is nonsense in the first place. It's a private event with ticketed attendance: they can set whatever policy they like, and as long as it doesn't violate anti-discrimination law, they're in the clear. If they're worried about the word "harassment," they can call it a code of conduct.

For god's sake: New York City Comic-Con's high-paid lawyers have decided it's safe to institute a policy against harassment. "But libel!" is just a fig leaf behind which to hide their cowardice and lack of concern.

[sovay]

"But libel!" is just a fig leaf behind which to hide their cowardice and lack of concern.

I am in fact taking it with several grains of salt. As an explanation, though, it's still not a convincing or a reasonable one.

[swan-tower.livejournal.com]

Understood; the rantiness was not directed at you.

[pameladean]

I'm really sorry this is messing up people's likely WFC experiences. Though it has very often been the case that a good time at WFC seems to happen despite, rather than because of, the actions of the board and the con committee.

P.

[swan-tower.livejournal.com]

I'm sure I'll have a perfectly pleasant time talking to my friends. And if my previous experiences are anything to go by, I will not personally be harassed.

But I know quite well that somebody else at the con isn't as lucky: I suspect every con with a good policy deals with multiple low-grade incidents that don't rise to a level where they get (or deserve) public attention. And I'm done with just shrugging and allowing this particular matter to be a thing we solve on the ground, without expecting the concom to help. Frankly, the WFC Board needs to put together a blanket policy all individual committees will be required use: they already do that for other aspects of the con, so ignoring this one is just not acceptable.

[rosefox]

I suspect every con with a good policy deals with multiple low-grade incidents that don't rise to a level where they get (or deserve) public attention.

This is correct, in my experience as a convention safety staffer. I've fielded complaints as trivial as "there's a lump in the lobby carpet that someone might trip over". That was indeed a safety issue and we made sure it was fixed. It would really not have been worth calling the cops over.

[swan-tower.livejournal.com]

And as multiple people have pointed out, instituting a policy whose only option is nuclear (call the cops!) means that you have no good way to deal with the social equivalent of the lump in the lobby carpet.

[rosefox]

And no good way to help or protect someone who very reasonably doesn't want the cops involved.

[pameladean]

Yes, that has definitely been my impression, and such experiences are plenty bad enough for the people having them.

And of course you are right about both the concom's needing to help and the Board's responsibility, in this case, to put together a policy. They rule with an iron enough hand in other regards.

P.

[swan-tower.livejournal.com]

I'm in the process of drafting an email to the Board demanding that they implement a reasonable policy all individual cons will be required to abide by. Once it's done, I'm strongly considering trying to set it up in a fashion that allows other authors to be signatory to it.

[pameladean]

That's a good idea. I'd certainly sign it.

P.

[rachelmanija.livejournal.com]

That policy does nothing but ensure that no one will report harassment to the con staff. Perhaps that was its intent.

[swan-tower.livejournal.com]

It sure as hell feels that way. Then the next time somebody says they need a policy, they can proudly proclaim "but we had no complaints!"

[maredudd800.livejournal.com]

Can you point me to an example of a good Con Harrassment Policy?

I participate in the local Steampunk community in Central FL and this issue has come up several times. I'm trying to become more knowledgeable so that I can become part of the solution.

Thanks for any help!

[maredudd800.livejournal.com]

Wait! I followed your link and found a sample policy. Thanks!

[swan-tower.livejournal.com]

I'm glad you were able to find something!