Almost every scene has had a bad actor, ranging from lower-level he-said-she-said harassment to full, witnessed assault. Often, organizers and scene leaders are at a loss for an effective way to handle these issues. The default often goes one of three ways: The organizer does not want to deal with it and does not engage, resulting in no further action; The organizer takes the side of the alleged perpetrator because there isn’t enough “proof”; or, The organizer sides with the alleged victim(s), without careful consideration of the full story. I don’t think any of these directions is the appropriate way…
-
-
From one organizer to another, I know how hard this job is. You work all year to plan something beautiful for your community. And, as an organizer, I know how important it is to you that attendees love (not like) your event. After all, the entire reason for having an event is to spread the joy of dance. It certainly isn’t for the fame or money. I’m sure you hear me when I say that one of my nightmares is having an event where any of the attendees are unsafe or uncomfortable. But, it does happen. It happens across all genres and all…