values
code of conduct
we are aware of our positions of power within conference space and believe it is within our commitments to our community to name and acknowledge that power and consider how that power might be abused (even if unintentionally). additionally, we believe with this power comes a higher level of responsibility and therefore a need to maintain a higher set of ethical standards.
producers
producers will not use their position as con producer for personal gain.
example of personal gain: seeking new partners during the con
producers will continually examine personal biases and blind spots. producers commit to continuing their education on oppression systems and personal deconstruction.
producers will abstain from participating in any decision making where there is a conflict of interest, whether that be personal or professional.
producers will seek to mentor and support new leadership in order to facilitate power sharing and community involvement in the con.
producers will be aware of our position of power and the effects that may have on playing with partners.
for this reason, we will not play with new people for the first time during the con, and we will address this power discrepancy with anybody we play/engage with during the con weekend. this includes tastings and facilitations.
the exception to not playing with new people is open call community scenes (e.g. trans wrestling tournament, littles story time, witch hunt “mafia” game, skill share during unconference, etc.), however we will be thoughtful and cautious about how we choose to engage in those open call scenes.
producers will consult with another producer about their choice to participate in an open call scene prior to participation to ensure alignment with values.
producers will be thoughtful about their unconference participation and be mindful of the space they take up.
producers will provide ways to receive feedback about the conference and themselves.
staff/keynote/group leads (skg)
skg will be aware of their position of power and the effects that may have on playing with partners.
skg will disclose their positionality to any potential play partners.
skg will be aware and take steps to mitigate how their positionality might affect negotiations, consent, and the ability of partners to feel they can revoke consent.
skg will continually examine personal biases and blind spots. skg commit to continuing their education on oppression systems and personal deconstruction.
skg will be thoughtful about their unconference participation and be mindful of the space they take up.
community leaders
(people who hold a position of power within the larger kink community such as national presenters, event producers, venue owners, title holders, group leaders/facilitators, etc.)
community leaders will be aware of their position of power and the effects that may have on playing with partners.
community leaders will disclose their positionality to any potential play partners
community leaders will be aware and take steps to mitigate how their positionality might affect negotiations, consent, and the ability of partners to feel they can revoke consent.
volunteers
volunteers will not use their shift for personal benefit. different from other positions, this does not include finding new play partners or starting a flirtation. please do not use your volunteer shift to do things like pre-reserve a play space or negotiate a scene.
guiding principles for conflict resolution
and incident reports
no one is disposable. we all commit harm and we are all capable of growth.
we, the producer team, have an obligation to make sure unabashed is as risk-aware and safe as it can be, but no space can be inherently safe. we all have an obligation to know our risk tolerance and communicate our needs, boundaries, and limits.
we believe that “safe spaces” are often inherently unsafe for some individuals. oftentimes, people with more social privilege confuse feeling uncomfortable for feeling unsafe. this can lead to more marginalized voices and experiences being shut down or silenced. the right to comfort is rooted in white supremacy and therefore, “safe” spaces often become places where white supremacy flourishes. as a community, we therefore seek to create a brave space where all people have value and harm is managed and mitigated with a holistic and community-centric approach
this does not mean that unabashed tolerates racism, ableism, cis-sexism, classism, etc. we believe in calling in and holding our community accountable in ways that do not excuse harm while also creating space for real repair and challenging white supremacist values of either/or thinking, fear of open conflict, and perfectionism.
we do not take anonymous reports.
when requested, we can endeavor to keep the identity of the reporter private, though we cannot act on reports without sharing some information with the accused. please note that that choice might limit our ability to take action. additionally, sharing any content of the accusation with any party might reveal the reporter’s identity unintentionally.
if you are not the person who directly experienced the incident or unabashed is unable to get in contact with you, unabashed will read and save your report for reference
we will not take further action without corroborating firsthand accounts or legal documentation (registry lists [1], restraining orders, court mandates, etc).
if you are in need of support with communication in the filling out of the incident report form or future conversations as part of ongoing investigation, unabashed is committed to supporting those with varying needs and abilities in this process.
if there are accommodations that would be helpful to you during this process, we will endeavor to meet them as long as they do not violate any of our guiding principles, as outlined here.
if there are additional concerns regarding accommodation needs or our guiding principles, we seek to collaborate to have all needs met.
the goal of any inquiry by the unabashed team is to determine whether someone can be trusted to maintain the standards of our community and follow the guiding principles of our event, whether as an attendee or in an unabashed leadership role. this does not mean that this person has not committed harm or will never commit harm. rather our concern is whether someone has the self-awareness to learn, grow, and above all, do better. while relational harm deeply hurts and affects our bonds of community, not all harm is the result of a consent violation or abuse.
as an unabashed team, we are committed to helping connect individuals to community resources and or members who are willing to help in whatever processes you may need.
we will make decisions based on creating an event where everyone’s boundaries at unabashed have a high likelihood of being respected and honored. for anyone with an up position of power (presenters, educators, community leaders, staff, producers), we hold a higher level of scrutiny.
unabashed reserves the right to not allow or revoke admission to our events when we believe it is in the event’s or community’s best interest.
we will make all efforts to complete the process in a timely manner.
we seek to maintain transparency with our community during this process. this is an ever-evolving process as needs in the community change with the understanding that no two situations are identical.
[1] If we find that some one is on a registry list, we are only concerned about violation of consent, not things like public sex, sex work, public indecency, or the target or queer and trans by the state. We will always ask the individual on the list before taking any actions.