ANTI-HARASSMENT POLICY

We are dedicated to making WeebCon a safe place for fans to interact with each other, their favorite creators, celebrities, and to be their genuine selves. This means we intend to cultivate a safe environment for fans from any ethnicity, creed, religious background, sexual identity or orientation, gender identity, appearance, clothing, body size, pregnancy, disability, fandom, etc. WeebCon does not tolerate harassment in any form.

If you are being harassed or see someone else being harassed, notify a staff member immediately. You are also within your rights to ask the harasser to stop on your own.

Once notified, WeebCon staff will take necessary action to stop the behavior, up to and including badge revocation, expulsion from the Convention Premises, and barment from future shows.

Defining Harassment
In totality, WeebCon does not tolerate physical or verbal harassment of or from the attendees, guests, vendors, staff, or volunteers. This includes comments and statements made via email, on websites or on any of our social networks.

We at WeebCon concretely identify harassment in the following ways:*

• Physical assault: unwanted physical contact, hugging, patting, sexual advances…etc.
• Verbal harassment: unwelcome lewd comments, innuendos, inappropriate conversation, jokes and language, demeaning comments..etc.
• Written harassment: bathroom policing, hate speech or racist, sexist and/or offensive drawings, cartoons, pictures, posters..etc.
• Unwelcomed media: taking pictures or recording without permission and repeatedly asking for pictures after initially being told no; The display or capturing of photos in a sexually suggestive or degrading nature of unconsenting individuals.
• Bullying and/or intimidating others
• Stalking/following another person
• Pranks on non-participating individuals
• Threats or violence of any kind

Harassment can also be found in less overt ways such as:*

• Gestures
• Staring
• Inappropriate signs in public spaces
• Blocking a person’s movement
• Standing too close after being asked for additional space
• Purposely brushing against a person’s body inappropriately

**This is by no means a comprehensive list.

This also includes support of harassment by another party, i.e., a group of individuals all laughing at another person in a demeaning manner.

Harassment on any of these bases is also illegal under Section 42.07, Texas Statutes.

False Reports
Groups or Individuals who make false reports with the intent of causing harassment will be treated under this policy in the same manner as harassers. We will never seek punishment on an individual for making a report that was in their perspective a genuine situation.
We would rather the information be reported to us than for it not to be.

We will do the best we can to thoroughly investigate reports made to us. False reports create victims too, and we hope to ensure all parties involved are heard, met with respect and see justice.

How to Report Harassment

During the convention, please come to or get in contact with our Info Desk. All of our general staff are trained to escort you to report harassment in our operations room. In our operations room we have access to the managerial staff that are able to handle harassment situations.

Harassment from Staff, Volunteer, or Vendor affiliated with WeebCon
If you experience harassment from a staff member, volunteer or vendor directly affiliated with our show please report this to the WeebCon Support Lead located at the Info Desk, they will aid in facilitating the complaint internally and work with our Volunteer/Staff Lead to handle the situation according to the complaint filed.

After Reporting
We are against blaming, shaming or intimidation of victims and we take every report of harassment or assault with the utmost seriousness. Incidents may be reported anonymously, but doing so means we wouldn’t be able to ask you follow-up questions, which could limit the progress of an investigation. It would also mean that we wouldn’t be able to provide you with information about the resolution of your harassment report.

If an individual fears for their safety, we do encourage them to also contact the police. Our staff may help with this. Reporting incidents to our staff is not the same as filing a police report and does not have the same legal effect or protection that can be offered by the police.

This policy also expressly prohibits retaliation of any kind against anyone bringing a complaint or assisting in the investigation of a complaint. Such persons may not be adversely affected in any manner related to their attendance at the convention. Such retaliation is also illegal under Section 42.07, Texas Statutes.

Our Action
If it is determined – either by observation or by complaint – that an individual or group has harassed other attendees, guests, vendors, staff, or volunteers any or all of the following things may occur.

• Warning to cease and desist
• Badge revocation and expulsion from convention premises
• Contacting the local law enforcement/security for removal or immediate legal action
• Banned from the convention for a period of time to be determined by WeebCon staff

In very minor cases an individual may be given a warning and allowed to return to events, but this only applies to situations where there was a genuine misunderstanding between the parties that we feel won't be an indicator of future problems.

For more serious requests we will also take steps to help you feel safe again at your request, such as escorting you to a place you feel safe, contacting your friends or family for you, or contacting law enforcement.