Readercon values BNFs over safety of its members, integrity of its policies

[starlady]

coffeeandink has a post, Sexual Harassment at Readercon, that details the harassment of author Genevieve Valentine by "a well-known fan," Rene Walling. Despite its stated policy of zero tolerance towards and lifetime bans for harassers, the Readercon board has banned Walling for…two years.

I'd previously heard that Readercon was snooty and inaccessible, but I can safely say that after this I will never go myself and will actively discourage women and people who don't believe that harassment is acceptable behavior to avoid the con like the plague. There are plenty of other great SFF conventions.

Finally: I fully support the decision of several people who were at the con to name Walling as Valentine's harasser. Protecting the anonymity of someone who has demonstrated a pattern of harassment only enables Walling to continue easily preying upon unknowing people. 

Comments

[jesse_the_k]

There's also divergent time streams.

Concom members these days are accustomed to communicate via phone, instant message, skype &c. As conventions near, they'll meet weekly or more often. Board of Directors meetings (at least in Wisconsin) have to be held in person. Members of the board of directors operate at a one-meeting per month (or quarter, or year) pace.

In recent memory, the difference between "Internet speed" and "board speed" complicated decision making for WisCon.