Anti-Harassment Policies

HARASSMENT Harassment is generally defined as unwanted behavior that creates an intimidating, offensive, and/or hostile environment for the person being targeted. It can be physical or psychological. If someone tells you that your comments or behavior are unwelcome, you need to stop immediately. If that person tells you to leave them alone, you need to cease contact. It doesn't matter if you don't think your behavior was harassing inappropriate or intimidating; harassment is defined by the victim.

Examples of harassment include, but are not limited to:

• Making comments about a person's appearance, sexual and/or vulgar statements, offensive jokes, or anything disparaging a person's gender, race, religion, sexuality, identity, et cetera.
• Bulling and discrimination.
• Whistling, catcalling, and any kind of non-consensual flirting or sexual advances.
• Following someone or impeding their path.
• Attending a person's panels solely to heckle them.
• Photographing or recording someone without their permission.
• Exposing oneself or miming sexual acts.
• Bathroom policing (harassing someone because of the bathroom they feel most comfortable using).
• Touching someone without their permission.
• Repeated texting, phone calls, or emails, after being told to stop.
• Any persistent action that creates a hostile environment for the person or persons being targeted - harassment is when a person is feeling harassed, period.
• If a person is in cosplay, that does not give you consent to photograph or touch them without their permission. Remember that underneath the costume and make-up is a real person; they are not the character they are portraying and you do not have the right to treat them as you would the fictional character.

Excessively loud noises/music and disruptive behavior is not prohibited unless noted otherwise. Please refrain from screaming, blasting music, or using noisemakers such as vuvuzelas and air horns, especially in hallways.

EXPLICIT CONTENT

Costumes must cover any area usually hidden by a bathing suit (genitalia, buttocks, nipples unless otherwise specified). Flashing/mooning other people is considered harassment and will not be tolerated. Please be aware that businesses and other venues in the area may have stricter dress codes (e.g. shirts required before entry).

Any clothing, signs, props, or other materials containing explicit content must NOT be visible inside our convention space. Anyone in Artist Alley selling work with explicit content must have it out of view and must view a photo ID before showing it to interested customers to ensure the patron is a certain age, 18+. Customers must then keep the purchase in a pocket, bag, or case that does not allow it to be seen by other attendees. Ahegao shirts are prohibited.

REPORTING

Please report any incidents of harassment as soon as possible. We take all reports very seriously, regardless of who is involved. You can report harassment even if you are not directly involved, and no retaliation for filing a report will be tolerated.

Harassment by any individual (attendees, guests, volunteers, security, or staff) should be reported to Nerdarchy the Convention security. If you are not comfortable reporting to Nerdarchy the Convention security, you can report to our [Person Specifically Designated as a Harassment Contact] at [Contact Email/Phone].

CONSEQUENCES

Any violations of our harassment policy will result in immediate penalties dependent upon the severity of the action. Such penalties include:

Verbal warnings. (You will only be warned once.) Confiscation of your badge and ejection from the event, with no refunds. Banning from any and all future events put on by Nerdarchy the Convention. Contacting law enforcement when appropriate.