tardis_stowaway (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
tardis_stowaway) wrote2013-08-08 11:20 am
tardis_stowaway) wrote2013-08-08 11:20 am
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Kudos to Dragon*Con
I am super pleased to see that Dragon*Con has a new anti-harassment policy that is MUCH clearer about what is considered harassment and what attendees can do if they feel they've been harassed.
Prior to this, all the con had was a line in the policies that said that people could be expelled for "behaving - in technical terms - like a jerk." While that certainly allowed the con to get rid of harassers, it also allowed too much wiggle room for people to claim "I wasn't being a jerk, I was just flirting" or some such nonsense. It wasn't very reassuring to people who experienced harassment that their concerns would be taken seriously.
This new policy is a big improvement. I hope it helps the con to become a safer space. While I have not personally experienced sexual harassment there, I have heard about it happening to way too many other people. The security improvements made a little while back to keep badgeless gawkers from entering the hotels in the evening helped, and I hope having a clearer, more supportive anti-harassment policy will also promote more respectful behavior within the geek community.
The geek community has been trying to have this important conversation for a while. I suspect that the timing of this move by Dragon*Con may have been prompted by John Scalzi's announcement of his policy of not participating in cons without a clear and adequately publicized policy on harassment. Scalzi is not (to the best of my knowledge) going to be a guest at Dragon*Con this year, but he has been in the past and might be in the future. I think his policy got enough people around Teh Intertubes talking that making a change became important business. It's kind of sad that an issue that mostly effects women needs support from a prominent guy before change can happen. Still, when the problem is (most often) the behavior of men, I do think having respectful men speak out is important.
Anyway, Dragon*Con is only 21 days away! I am super excited! And also I really need to finish my costume work.
Prior to this, all the con had was a line in the policies that said that people could be expelled for "behaving - in technical terms - like a jerk." While that certainly allowed the con to get rid of harassers, it also allowed too much wiggle room for people to claim "I wasn't being a jerk, I was just flirting" or some such nonsense. It wasn't very reassuring to people who experienced harassment that their concerns would be taken seriously.
This new policy is a big improvement. I hope it helps the con to become a safer space. While I have not personally experienced sexual harassment there, I have heard about it happening to way too many other people. The security improvements made a little while back to keep badgeless gawkers from entering the hotels in the evening helped, and I hope having a clearer, more supportive anti-harassment policy will also promote more respectful behavior within the geek community.
The geek community has been trying to have this important conversation for a while. I suspect that the timing of this move by Dragon*Con may have been prompted by John Scalzi's announcement of his policy of not participating in cons without a clear and adequately publicized policy on harassment. Scalzi is not (to the best of my knowledge) going to be a guest at Dragon*Con this year, but he has been in the past and might be in the future. I think his policy got enough people around Teh Intertubes talking that making a change became important business. It's kind of sad that an issue that mostly effects women needs support from a prominent guy before change can happen. Still, when the problem is (most often) the behavior of men, I do think having respectful men speak out is important.
Anyway, Dragon*Con is only 21 days away! I am super excited! And also I really need to finish my costume work.