Dublin 2019 Worldcon Bid Proposes Code of Conduct


Dublin_2019 COMP
Recent Worldcons have had antiharassment policies but the Dublin in 2019 Worldcon bid believes they are the first to establish a Code of Conduct for a bid campaign.

“It’s very important to us that we make the Dublin in 2019 bid as safe and welcoming as Worldcon itself, should we win, and we feel this is a really important part of the bid from the start,” writes Esther MacCallum-Stewart. They are soliciting comments on the proposed text.

A draft of this Code of Conduct is open for consultation until early January. Everyone, whether they are aware of Worldcon, or entirely new to this historic convention, can comment on what we are doing. We would like help to make this the best bid ever, and that includes making it the safest. We would especially like feedback on our decision to include a newer concept: Code of Conduct contact team members. They are specifically chosen for this task, are not on the Committee or Bid Team, and they can help handle an issue raised in a sensitive manner.

Comments can be provided by e-mail to [email protected] or through Twitter or Facebook.

The Code of Conduct text follows the jump.

This post also displays their new logo (above) and banner art (below).

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Preamble

Codes of Conduct or Harassment Policies enable, guide and encourage safe and secure relationships between convention attendees. They help to make conventions a safer space by discouraging anti-social behaviour and helping everyone to feel comfortable. In the process Codes of Conduct help make a community.

Dublin 2019 wants to build a community for all fans and this starts with the Committee, Staff and Volunteers of the Bid.

We want to start off, from the very outset, with a Code of Conduct so that our pre-supporters, those who have yet to support us, and those who may never support us know that we are serious about ensuring everyone’s comfort during our campaign.

Should Dublin 2019 win the Bid, we will update this Code of Conduct for the 2017-2019 period and again for the convention itself, making this a work in progress.

Expectations

All people involved with the Dublin 2019 Bid are expected to show respect towards each other and any and all members of speculative fiction communities.

We will not tolerate discrimination of any kind based on gender expression, gender identity, sexual orientation, sexual identity, religion, race, ethnicity, age, physical ability, mental ability, age, physical appearance, or body size.

We will not tolerate stalking, intimidation, offensive verbal comments, physical assault, non-consensual photography, inappropriate or unwelcome physical attention, or online bullying or harassment.

Reporting and Resolving Harassment

If someone involved with the Dublin 2019 Bid has harassed you in any way, or if you have seen that harassment take place, please ask them to stop if it is safe to do so and if you feel comfortable doing so. If that is not possible, or if you do not want to speak to the harasser please speak to or email one of our volunteers who will escalate it to an appropriate Committee member.

You can also email in confidence Lynda E. Rucker, the committee member at our Dublin Office [email protected]

Alternatively you may speak to one of our Code of Conduct contact team members. They are specifically chosen for this task, are not on the Committee or Bid Team, and they can help handle an issue raised in a sensitive manner.

Dublin 2019 will act upon any complaint received and will attempt to mediate a solution, which may ultimately result in the volunteer being excluded from the campaign.

Code of Conduct Contact Team

To be established after the consultation period is over, pending feedback.g

3 thoughts on “Dublin 2019 Worldcon Bid Proposes Code of Conduct

  1. “We will not tolerate discrimination of any kind based on gender expression, gender identity, sexual orientation, sexual identity, religion, race, ethnicity, age, physical ability, mental ability, age, physical appearance, or body size.”

    So adults can pay Children’s Membership prices?

  2. All this talk of “codes of conduct” has me curious. I go to social events all the time and nothing like this is required. Im new to scifi fandom, so I dont know what its like in the real world, but I get the impression that a lot of time is spent making sure everyone feels safe, which seems crazy to me since the implication is that something bad is going to happen at any moment. Is it not self perpetuating? What happens at these events that makes this necessary? Is there something I should be worried about? Ive gone to sex and body related events with less conduct rules, so Im curious what actually goes on. I guess the implication is that within sci fi fandom specifically there is a sinister element which needs to me monitored?

  3. James:

    Over the last few years, there have been a number of high-profile incidents involving repeat harassers who had been able to persist in their local communities due to a lack of people speaking up about them, and/or reports of harassment being mishandled by conventions. A small number compared to the huge number of sf cons, but a sufficient number to make it necessary for cons to produce a detailed code of conduct, to help encourage reporting and assure members that there is a procedure in place for dealing with the reports properly.

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