Harassment

Nyancon does not tolerate assault or harassment in any form. This policy applies to everyone present at Nyancon, including but not limited to attendees, exhibitors, guests, volunteers, staff, and contractors.

Harassment

Harassment is generally defined as unwanted behavior that creates an intimidating, offensive, or hostile environment for the person being targeted. It can be physical or psychological. If someone tells you that your comments or behavior are unwelcome, you must stop immediately. If that person tells you to leave them alone, you must cease contact. It doesn’t matter whether you think your behavior was harassing: harassment is defined by the victim and you must respect their boundaries.

Examples of harassment include, but are not limited to:

• making comments about a person’s appearance, sexual or vulgar statements, offensive jokes, or anything disparaging a person’s gender, race, religion, sexuality, identity, disability, etc.;
• bullying and discrimination;
• whistling, catcalling, and any kind of non-consensual flirting or sexual advances;
• following someone or impeding their path;
• attending a person’s panels solely to heckle them;
• photographing or recording someone without their permission;
• exposing oneself or miming sexual acts;
• harassing someone because of the bathroom they feel most comfortable using, known as bathroom policing;
• touching someone without their permission;
• repeated texting, phone calls, or emails, after being told to stop;
• any persistent action that creates a hostile environment for the person or persons being targeted.

If a person is in cosplay, that does not give you consent to photograph or touch them without their permission. There is a real person underneath the costume and makeup. If you are in cosplay as a character that might harass others, that does not give you a pass to harass real people even if you are “in character.”

Explicit Behavior

Costumes must cover any area usually hidden by a bathing suit. Please see our costume policy (https://nyancon.org/rules) for more details about what is appropriate for public wear. Flashing or mooning other people is considered harassment and will not be tolerated. Please be aware that businesses and other venues in the area may have stricter dress codes (e.g. shirts required before entry).

Any clothing, signs, props, or other materials containing explicit content must not be visible inside our convention space.

Reporting

Please report any incidents of harassment as soon as possible. We take all reports very seriously, regardless of who is involved. You can report harassment even if you are not directly involved, and we do not tolerate retaliation for filing a report.

You can report harassment by any individual to Con Ops on the main floor of H Building. Please try to report the incident to Con Ops as soon after the incident as possible and provide a description, name, or photograph of the person. The sooner our team has as much information as possible, the sooner we are able to act. You may also report incidences by sending email to [email protected].

Consequences

Any violations of our harassment policy will result in immediate penalties dependent upon the severity of the action. Such penalties include, but are not limited to:

• a verbal warning;
• confiscation of your badge and ejection from Nyancon, without refund;
• contacting law enforcement when appropriate.

Questions & Concerns

We welcome your questions and constructive criticism. If you would like to speak with us about this policy, please email [email protected] or complete the contact form at Nyancon.org/contact. We appreciate your cooperation and wish you an excellent weekend at Nyancon.