FlatCon maintains a ‘real name’ policy for badges. This is not necessarily your legal name, but it should be the name that someone should shout to get your attention. This is not your online handle, your twitter account, or anything else with those connotations. It does not need to be your full legal name, but it does need to be your name. Both a first and a last name are required.

The name on your badge should be the one you use with coworkers, friends, your doctor, etc. Diminutives, derivatives, and long-established nicknames are all valid as long as they are what people use to address you in physical face-to-face spaces.

We do not require you to use a deadname publicly under any circumstances, and will only ask for it where necessary to validate credit cards for payment purposes.

Note: FlatCon Staff reserves the right to disallow any names on badges that they feel are inappropriate or fail to meet these guidelines. These badges will be refunded without warning.

Some examples: If your name is Alexander or Alexandra, it is perfectly fine to use Alex, Al, Alexa, Allie, Lex, Lexi, Xander, etc.

If you go by your middle name, please use it as your ‘First Name’ for badge purposes. Samantha Ashley Tyler could have ‘Ashley Tyler’ on the badge instead of ‘Samantha Tyler’. In addition, ‘Ash Tyler’ can be used but not just ‘Ash’.

Even if you do answer to a ‘handle’ type name when used in some circles, please do not use these on your badge.

While FlatCon policy is that badge names should match names on Legal ID, this is not a strict requirement, and you can obtain your badge with your ticket receipt with no need to show ID. There is no requirement to register under a deadname.