The IAC is committed to providing a welcoming and harassment-free experience for all participants. The conference organizers and volunteers are dedicated to creating a safe environment for all participants of all genders, gender identities, ethnicities, races, religions, sexual orientations, physical or cognitive abilities, physical appearances. You are our community. This conference would not exist without you, your support, and your candor.
Conference participants agree to the following Code of Conduct for all interactions during the conference, including, but not limited to: at the conference venue, at conference sponsored events, on social media (Slack, Twitter, etc.) during the conference, and all other online media.
- Be respectful of all participants. Understand and respect the boundaries of your fellow attendees, speakers, sponsors, venue staff, and volunteers. For example, if approaching someone that you’ve only known online, ask before initiating physical contact (e.g., “May I give you a hug?), acknowledge, and abide by their response.
- Refrain from all forms of harassment. Do not harass others through speech or actions. Do not make any insulting or demeaning comments related to gender, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, physical ability, personal appearance, age, race, ethnicity, nationality, language, religion, or belief. Do not make threatening statements to others. Do not incite others to make harassing statements. Harassing actions include, but are not limited to, deliberate intimidation, stalking, photography or recording of people who have indicated they do not want to be recorded, purposeful disruption of talks and conference events, inappropriate and unwanted physical contact, use of sexual or discriminatory imagery, comments, or jokes, and unwelcome contact.
- Behave like a community. Have each other’s backs. If you see someone who appears to be uncomfortable with the actions or words of another, speak up. Stand beside them. Ask them if they’d like to talk to a conference volunteer or official.
- Do not use offensive imagery, or explicit content. Sexualized or vulgar imagery is not appropriate for any conference venue. Participants should not participate in sharing sexual language or imagery. Speakers’ talks should contain warnings, which the conference staff will post, if there is potentially traumatic content (regarding abuse, assault, death, war, mental health crises, etc.), that is pertinent to illustrating a key point of the talk. The definition of “offensive” will be determined by the leadership, and will apply to what any reasonable person would consider to be offensive.
IAC event staff, volunteers, and sponsors are subject to the anti-harassment policy, as well. Particular to sponsors, booth staff (including volunteers) should not wear sexualized clothing/uniforms/costumes, or otherwise create a sexualized environment, and booth design plus any collateral or swag being distributed should not use sexualized images, activities, or other offensive material.
Need help?
If you feel that someone has harassed you or otherwise treated you inappropriately, or if you witnessed someone being harassed or treated inappropriately, please alert any member of the conference team. You can alert team members (identified with the word “Staff” on their badges) in person, or contact us through the dedicated phone line: (240)815-9735. You can also send an email to codeofconduct@theiaconference.com.
Event staff will be happy to help participants contact hotel/venue security or local law enforcement, provide escorts, or otherwise assist those experiencing harassment to feel safe for the duration of the event. We value your attendance.
What are the consequences?
Anyone asked to stop any harassing or offensive behaviour is expected to comply immediately. Please respect someone else’s “no” and “stop.”
If a participant engages in harassing behavior, the co-chairs and staff may take any action they deem appropriate, including but not limited to warning the offender or requesting the offender to remove themselves from the conference with no refund.
We expect participants to follow these rules at all IAC-related events.
This Code of Conduct is a living document, and will be updated regularly. Last update on March 14, 2019.