Code of Conduct

Code of Conduct: Preamble

Chicon 8 exists for the enjoyment and enrichment of the fannish community. This Code of Conduct ensures that the behavior of any one person, or group, matches the community expectations of the convention as a whole. 

This Code of Conduct applies to all Chicon 8 attendees – which includes Committee, staff, volunteers, and members. We will also expect those working for the hotels where our activities are taking place to act, and to be treated, in line with the principles of this CoC.

Broadly, we believe that codes of conduct and related policies enable, guide, and encourage safer and more secure relationships between convention members, participants, and volunteers. Encourage your friends and family to read this document. Discuss it with as many people as possible!

In reading this code and applying it to yourself or the behavior of others, please remember the following:

Chicon 8 published policies, including, but not limited to, the COVID-19 Policy and the Weapons Policy, are extensions of the Code of Conduct.

• Ask first! Before engaging in behavior that you are unsure about, check-in with the person you’re engaging with first. It is always easier to ask first rather than inadvertently harming, offending, or hurting someone. 
• We are a multi-cultural event with people coming from all over the world! Cross-cultural misunderstanding can and do occur. Consider whether your joke or interaction could be misconstrued by someone who does not share your cultural context. 

Code of Conduct: Principles

Everyone should feel welcome and comfortable at Chicon 8 and all related events. We ask all our attendees, volunteers, media and staff to work together to achieve this goal. 

Discrimination (based on but not limited to, gender, race, ethnicity, religion, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, neuro-diversity, physical appearance, body size, or physical/mental disability) will not be tolerated. 

Harassment of any kind will not be tolerated. If someone tells you no or asks you to leave them alone, you are expected to cease your interaction with them immediately. Because people may feel uncomfortable saying no or asking you to leave them alone, the absence of no is not sufficient to assume consent. Only yes means yes. 

Chicon 8’s definition of harassment may not necessarily align with legal definitions of harassment. Behavior that will be considered harassment includes, but is not limited to:

• Verbal or physical assault
• Intimidation, stalking, or following
• Inappropriate sexual remarks or behaviour
• Inappropriate physical contact
• Deliberate misgendering /deadnaming of people or continued misgendering / deadnaming after being corrected 
• Comments that belittle or demean others
• Non-consensual behavior towards another member, volunteer, or attendee
• Disruption of events
• Sexually graphic, racially biased, hate group iconography, or other offensive images in public spaces
• Costumes/Cosplay that are historically or otherwise offensive, including bigoted iconography or symbolism
• Attempts to weaponize this Code of Conduct
• Advocating for or encouraging any of the above behaviors.

Chicon 8 is committed to being anti-racist. Anti-racism includes working to exclude bias from our event, acknowledging our prejudices and benefits accrued from systems of power, and working to educate our members about racially motivated aggressions and microaggressions. Our full anti-racism statement is here.

Privacy, Photographs, and Recording Electronic Information

Photography and video and/or audio recordings are frequently made by Chicon 8 during events. The likenesses of event attendees and members may appear in those recordings. Attendees and members agree to assign without compensation the use of their likeness in promotional material.

If you need to avoid having your photograph taken for religious, social, or legal reasons, please make this known to our event photographers (information on how to do this will be provided closer to the convention). We also encourage people who have reasons to avoid being photographed to wear a “do not photograph” badge. 

Code of Conduct: Reporting Process

If you feel that you are being discriminated against or harassed, or if you see someone else behaving inappropriately, please let us know. If you feel comfortable doing so, point out the inappropriate behavior to the person(s) involved; however, if you do not, that is ok and a report can still be made.

To report a violation of this code of conduct, contact our Incident Response Team. You can contact them by email at report@chicon.org. (A phone number and office location will be provided for at-convention reports.) When providing a report, details such as name, badge name/number, and a physical description will be helpful but not required. 

When making a report, Chicon 8 staff will interact with all individuals in a respectful manner designed to center the experience of the individual making the report. Our goal is to listen to your experience and help re-establish your well-being. We will never move faster than what you are comfortable with. We will also tell you what our next steps will be and follow-up with you at your request. 

Once a report has been made, our team will develop a report of the incident, including speaking privately with those involved and any witnesses. Once a report has been developed, the Incident Response Team in conjunction with the Chair of the convention will decide upon an appropriate action.

Chicon 8 will keep private the identities of persons involved as much as possible, restricting identifying information to those parties with a need to know that information in order to perform their duties. 

Chicon 8 will provide escorts or otherwise assist members with actions that will help them feel safe for the duration of the convention after a report is made or even if a report is not filed. 

If you are planning to attend a Chicon 8 event, either a pre-convention event or the convention itself, and have concerns regarding another individual who may be present, you can contact our Incident Response Team. We will listen to your concerns and discuss options that the event can provide to you.

Code of Conduct: Consequences

Anyone found in violation of the code of conduct will be subject to consequences. These include, but are not limited to:

• Verbal warning
• Revocation of membership
• Banning participation in Chicon 8 social media channels
• Banning from future Chicon 8 events
• Ejection from the current Chicon 8 event

Chicon 8 reserves the right to revoke membership and eject anyone at any time from a Chicon 8 event, including the convention, without a refund. 

Code of Conduct: Summary

Chicon 8 reserves the right to amend these rules at any time without prior or posted notice and the right of interpretation. We plan to make additions to this Code of Conduct closer to the actual convention, to cover at-con policies and procedures.

These rules and policies are not all-inclusive, and examples are included for illustrative purposes. Each infraction will be judged individually on its own merits.  

Additionally, Chicon 8 is prepared to deal with any issues related to this code in as rapid and efficient a manner as possible while maintaining a trauma-informed response approach.