safety policy / code of conduct

If you need help, if you are injured and require medical attention, if you fear for your safety or feel threatened, or if you would like to make the organisers aware of inappropriate behaviour, please approach the registration desk (it will be staffed throughout the conference), a member of the core organising team, or ask one of the volunteers to bring you to us.

Alternatively, you can contact safety-alms2019@magnus-hirschfeld.de

Don’t hesitate. We have your back.

OUR VALUES

Every person has a right to make constructive contributions to queering memory, expanding our future, and to learn about how gender and sexuality are relevant to ALMS.

WE VALUE PARTICIPATION.

ALMS 2019 Conference is dedicated to providing a diverse, welcoming, and harassment-free environment and experience for everyone irrespective of social or cultural background or identity.

We are committed to creating a conference atmosphere that is safe, professional and promotes mutual trust, where diversity and inclusion are valued and where everyone is entitled to be treated with courtesy and respect.

WE ARE ACTIVE.

We do not tolerate harassment or bullying of conference participants in any form and work actively to prevent it at our event.

 

CODE OF CONDUCT

YOU ARE PART OF THIS.

In joining us at ALMS 2019 as a presenter, artist, volunteer, performer, activist, archivist, audience member, or in any other role, you agree to treat all participants with care and respect, and to read and abide by our code of conduct.

You are also subject to the normal laws and regulations governing the main venue, HKW.

THERE’S ROOM FOR ALL OF US

We welcome all participants and supporters of the LGBTIQ+ ALMS conference series regardless of gender/gender identity, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, disability, physical appearance, religion, and so on.

WE LOOK OUT FOR EACH OTHER

If you harass someone, you may be asked to leave the event and expelled from the conference without a refund. You may be banned in future by the organising team, you may be placed on a watch list, the police may be notified, etc. This is at the discretion of the organisers. We don’t have to give you a second chance.

TALK NICE

Do not use misogynist, homophobic, transphobic, ableist, or racist language.

RULES OF DEBATE

  1. Behave professionally. Harassment and sexist, racist, or exclusionary comments or jokes are not appropriate. Harassment includes sustained disruption of talks or performances, inappropriate physical contact, uninvited sexual attention or innuendo, deliberate intimidation, stalking, and photography or recording of an individual without consent. It also includes offensive comments related to individual characteristics, for example: age, gender, sexual orientation, disability, physical appearance, race, nationality or religion.
  2. All communication should be appropriate for a professional audience including people of many different backgrounds. Sexist language, sexualised language and behaviour, and unwarranted* sexual imagery is not appropriate.

*warranted sexual imagery is imagery that legitimately forms part of a planned scholarly discussion or artistic presentation/performance within the parameters of the conference themes and program

  1. Be respectful and do not insult or put down other attendees or facilitators of the event. Critique ideas, not people.
  2. Should any participant observe instances of bullying, harassment or aggression, they may wish to approach the affected person to check how they are. We encourage participants look after one another and report these events to conference organisers.
  3. Participants may photograph and share the contents of talks/slides via social media unless speakers have asked that specific details/slides not be shared. If participants wish to share photos of a speaker on social media, we strongly recommend that they first get the speaker’s permission.

At all times, the ALMS Information Desk will be staffed. Participants can report any violation of these guidelines to conference staff in confidence. If asked to stop inappropriate behaviour participants are expected to comply immediately and, in serious cases, may be asked to leave the conference without a refund.

ALMS will not tolerate retaliation against anyone reporting violations of this code of conduct.

 

SEXUAL HARASSMENT POLICY

WHAT IS SEXUAL HARASSMENT?

Sexual harassment is unwanted or unwelcome behaviour (sexual or otherwise) which makes a person feel offended, humiliated, or intimidated.

The European Institute of Gender Equality defines sexual harassment as including:

  • unwanted conduct of a sexual nature, including unwanted sexual acts and requests to carry out sexual acts
  • physical contact of a sexual nature
  • comments of a sexual nature
  • unwanted showing or public exhibition of pornographic images

with the purpose or effect of violating the dignity of the person concerned, in particular where it creates an intimidating, hostile, degrading, humiliating or offensive environment, and:

  • intentionally or knowingly asserting or disseminating an untrue fact related to another person, which may defame that person or negatively affect public opinion about that person or endanger that person’s creditworthiness

It can also include any other behaviour that may be considered an offence under criminal law, such as physical assault, indecent exposure, sexual assault, stalking, or obscene communications.

Sexual harassment does not include mutual and consensual interaction, flirtation, or friendship.

Sexual harassment law applies to workplaces. That means it’s ILLEGAL to sexually harass people attending the conference as part of their job or career (this more or less includes everyone).

We have a legal and moral obligation to actively prevent sexual harassment.

We WILL act immediately on your reports or complaints, and we will warn and/or eject offenders.

Sexual harassment can be obvious or indirect, physical or verbal, repeated or one-off, and perpetrated by males and females against people of any sex.

If you aren’t sure, if you think it’s creepy or makes you feel uncomfortable and you want a second opinion, if you see something and you’ve got a hunch ASK for advice.

 

*This policy draws heavily on the Safety page of Swing Dance Sydney; we thank its director Sam Carroll for providing best practice examples in this area.