Consent Culture on Planet Fabulon
WHAT WE MEAN BY ‘CONSENT’
Everyone has their own personal level of comfort around physical touch and attention from others. Respecting these personal boundaries and respecting the signals you’re given is an important part of creating a space where folks feel safe enough to freely express themselves. So always ask before you act.
From hello hugs to dance floor dalliances and everything in between: only an enthusiastic, verbal “Yes” means “Yes”. No means No. Silence means No. Mumbling means No. Uncomfortable body language means No. Anything other than an enthusiastic YES means No.
HOW WE FEEL ABOUT CONSENT
People arrive at consent culture from many experiences. Most of us are not raised with consent education. Most consent violators are not monsters. We all can and will continue to make mistakes. That said, ignorance is not an excuse, the effects of our actions do matter, and taking accountability for our mistakes is a necessary part of learning to do better.
Building consent culture is an active and ongoing practice. It requires work and intention on the part of event organizers and attendees. A key part of this work is giving attendees an easy way to tell us when consent boundaries get crossed, and normalizing the process of reporting that information to us.
If you witnesses or experience a consent violation at one of our events, we want to know about it. We can only see so much, so we rely on members of our community to help us keep our spaces safer for everyone. We encourage you to seek out an organizer or Vibe Alive volunteer at the event to help you. If you can’t or don’t feel comfortable doing so in-person during an event, please consider telling us through our Consent Incident Report. This form is intended for incidents that range from the very serious to ones you might consider more minor. There is no statute of limitations on when you can report something.
HOW WE APPROACH REPORTS WE ARE GIVEN
If you feel your consent has been violated or you’ve been made to feel uncomfortable at our events, please tell us. We will believe you.
Making a report is not pleasant, and it’s not easy. Our default position is to believe the reports we are given, with the burden of proof being on disproving the report. We will assume good faith when you report to us, unless and until we are given reason to believe otherwise. You have control over how public (or not) your report is. We will never divulge any information in your report to another party without your prior consent. Read the full details about what to expect when you make a report here.
You are not “rocking the boat” by speaking about something that made you feel uncomfortable. You will not face social consequences from us for speaking up, no matter who the report is about. In fact, we will thank you for doing so! We know it can be even harder to make a report about an organizer, someone with a position of authority in our wider team, or even folks with greater social standing in our wider community. We hold these kinds of reports to a higher standard of scrutiny and have additional procedures for handling reports involving organizers.
WHAT WE HOPE WILL COME FROM A REPORT
We are not here to decide whether someone is right or wrong or to label someone as “good” or “bad”. We understand that two people can have different experiences. We never make direct accusations or tell people they are guilty. Any conclusions or outcomes reached are not intended to be a definitive answer on an issue, or to be taken as proof of guilt. Outcomes are the result of the reporting process and are largely reached because of how people engage with our process.
The goals of our reporting process are, in order:
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- To prevent continued harm to the reporting party
- To prevent harm to other community members in the future
- To be fair to all involved
- To encourage and normalize outcomes that prioritize accountability, growth, and transformative justice for those involved, over outcomes that rely solely on punishment
