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This thread discusses several incidents of sexual assault at Dragon*Con this year. This is the first time I've heard of it happening, but that doesn't mean it's never happened before. It just means that this year was worse than years past. And the assaulters weren't all con members (some were LSU fans in town for the game), so the con's policy of yanking badges won't do any good.
We need to get the hotels, con staff, and fellow con attendees to prevent such issues from happening again. We need to get a stated, publicized anti-harassment policy on the con webpage and in the con materials (program guide). The location of security staff in all areas of the con needs to be better publicized/signed/whatever.
People need to get through their heads that a women wearing a skimpy outfit isn't asking to be hit on, let alone groped or worse.
People need to know that this sort of shit won't be tolerated. At all.
We need to get the hotels, con staff, and fellow con attendees to prevent such issues from happening again. We need to get a stated, publicized anti-harassment policy on the con webpage and in the con materials (program guide). The location of security staff in all areas of the con needs to be better publicized/signed/whatever.
People need to get through their heads that a women wearing a skimpy outfit isn't asking to be hit on, let alone groped or worse.
People need to know that this sort of shit won't be tolerated. At all.
no subject
Date: 2010-09-10 11:59 pm (UTC)From:I've got half a mind to say "fuck the Marriott" and stay in the Hilton next year. Even if a bunch of assholes set one of the elevator lift assemblies on fire by cramming too many people into it.
But congoers on LJ are being proactive and posting about how to make things better next year without relying on staff (because security volunteers are people like me or Ben, say, and not exactly intimidating). Like forming a Brute Squad, or having volunteer escorts, or just getting the word out that if someone looks like they're being harassed/assaulted/creeped on, it's OK to step in. It's OK to help them out, to give them an out -- but don't then turn into the creeper yourself.
Publicize the BackUp Project.
I want to believe that most congoers are good people, who would help each other out. But the SEP field descends, you know? We need to break people of that.