Policies

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General Rules and Policies
Age Policy
Consent Policy
Privacy and Confidentiality Policies
Anti-Harassment Policy

Here you will find the policies that are applied to all Think Between the Lines events.

General Policies

All rules are non-negotiable. Violation of these rules and other policies may be reason for ejection or other disciplinary action (without a refund where applicable).

If you have any questions about any of the policies, you may use the Contact Form on the website, or email k.betweenthelines@gmail.com. You may also use the specific conference email for each event as desired.

  • For events with 18+ age restrictions, all participants will be required to verify their age in order to gain access to the group’s discord, social, and class spaces.
  • All attendees must be registered for all events. Sharing screens with non-attendees is strictly forbidden. Sharing Zoom or social links with people who are not registered is strictly forbidden. 
  • All events are virtual and require all participants to be wearing appropriate clothing while on video. Nudity is not allowed and will not be tolerated. 
  • Respect all participants including volunteers and presenters; assume best intentions, correct information where possible (ie pronouns, racism, etc). Avoid unwelcome, rude, or inappropriate comments to other attendees. When in doubt, ask.
  • Only use the preferred pronoun of each person as they have indicated. Some people’s pronouns change based on the situation; respect each person by using their preferred pronoun for each situation. In situations where a person’s pronoun is unknown, use the plural, “they/them/theirs” until you know what pronoun is preferred, and then switch to that.
  • A history of complaints or having been removed from other events does not automatically mean that participants are unwelcome at Think Between the Lines events. If you have been removed, asked to leave or not come back from another event(s), please contact k.betweenthelines@gmail.com with the information about your removal and from which event(s). All cases are handled on a case-by-case basis. Please note, we take issues of consent and privacy very seriously and will prioritize survivors. Intentionally hiding your identity (including using a different name) in order to gain admission in the case of previous consent or privacy violations or bans from other groups will result in immediate removal and future prevention of attendance. 
  • Think Between the Lines is a very liberal organization and will, as such, only call for police or emergency services when all other outlets for resolution have been tried. Think Between the Lines is especially conscious of the populations it serves and recognizes the disconnect between those populations and much of the world’s law enforcement personnel. We will absolutely prioritize marginalized people and their safety from law enforcement wherever possible by engaging in transformative justice and harm-reduction strategies first. 
  • Terms of Use and Terms of Service of each server (Discord, Zoom, Gather) must be adhered to at all times.

Age Policy

Unless specifically stated for an event, group, or activity, all conferences, reading groups, and other activities are open to people of all ages regardless of experience.

KBtL is an 18+ conference, no exceptions. All participants will be required to prove their age as 18 years or older

Consent Policy

All people engaged in the conferences or Reading Groups (or other activities) offered by Think Between the Lines must follow the listed consent policy.

Consent is the act of ensuring that all people involved in any activity are given the explicit opportunity to give their, “okay,” while being able to comprehend what is going on and enthusiastically choose to engage. Consent is clearly and freely given/asked for. Consent may be withdrawn at any time for any reason. 

Presenters must ask for consent and practice good consent and negotiation practices

This consent policy applies to all people even those who have pre-existing agreements within their relationship(s)

Consent cannot happen in the following conditions:

  • Between people wherein at least one party is of legal age (18+) and at least one party is a minor (17 or younger). This is specifically relevant for sexual or physical activity; this is not specific to generalized communication. 
  • When people are actively intoxicated
  • When people are legally unable to consent for themselves, either permanently or temporarily
  • When people have been coerced or harassed into a situation

Think Between the Lines differentiates between consent accidents and violations

Consent accidents occur when someone unintentionally acts, accidentally or through ambiguous communication/miscommunication, or because of an honest misunderstanding, or through the unintentional failure to communicate and/or negotiate an interaction or boundary. Consent accidents do not “feel good” but they are not inherently violations; however, repeated accidents may be considered violations.

Consent violations occur when someone intentionally chooses to act, or intentionally ignores, or intentionally does something beyond a person’s stated or negotiated boundaries or who creates an intimidating, hostile, or offensive environment that makes consent not possible. Intentionally not asking for consent is an automatic violation. Violations of consent can be committed by any person regardless of their role or relationship. Consent violations are automatic when engaging with someone in a situation aforementioned as when consent cannot happen or in situations where someone is incapable of giving knowing, explicit, and voluntary consent.

Think Between the Lines takes consent very seriously. All reports will be investigated fully. Those who violate consent during any event through Think Between the Lines may be removed from the event (without refund where applicable). Violations may also result in prevention from attending future events. While it is rare, intentionally false reports may also result in ejection or prevention of Think Between the Lines events.

If you experience, or witness, something you believe to be a consent violation or consent accident, please contact the consent team of the conference, or if you would prefer you can email k.betweenthelines@gmail.com or utilize the specific conference’s organizer email.

Negotiation as a part of consent

Negotiations can be as simple as asking to Direct Message someone on Discord, to asking for explicit permission for various kinds of touch; and everything in between. When negotiating with someone, it may be helpful (but is not required in all situations) to include some or all of the following: 

  • The relative experience of the people involved
  • Any expectations of what activities are included/involved with the negotiation and/or where it will lead
  • The length of time that the negotiation is valid for
  • How or what a change in consent looks/sounds like
  • The aftercare needs of everyone involved
Consent and Emotional Care Teams

All conferences will have a Consent and Emotional Care (CEC) team. The team will be responsible for handling any consent issues that arise at each conference. These volunteers are also available for any emotional incidents that may arise for participants while at each event. CEC volunteers may be able to help with a variety of contexts, but also may be unable to help in others. CEC volunteers are required to have some kind of professional training in order to hold this role.

The Consent and Emotional Care Teams will not share information outside of the 1-1 conversations unless one or more of the following occur:

  • If the team member feels any kind of sanction should occur
  • In the case that there are concerns of non-consensual harm (to oneself or to others)
  • In the case where calling for outside assistance is legally required (including but not limited to local police/emergency services)
  • In the case of suspected minor abuse

All reported consent violations will be shared with the organizer with basic information but NOT with revealing information about the people involved or the situation. Some shared information includes:

  • That a violation occurred
  • If the violation occurred at the event and whether it was public or private
  • If the person reporting witnessed or experienced the reason for the report

All cases of consent violations that have taken place outside of Think Between the Lines and its associated events will be addressed on a case-by-case basis. TBtL takes consent very seriously.

In cases of severe situations, evidence may be gathered and information given directly to all relevant parties. In the case of a consent violation report, in which there is a request for further action to be taken, relevant information will be shared with the organizer (including names, details of the situation, and other relevant information).

Privacy and Confidentiality Policies

  • Recording of any sort, including video, audio, and/or screenshots, or still photography are not allowed. Anyone caught doing so during or after the event will be removed from the event and/or asked to remove the video, recording, or image. Anyone found to have violated this after the event, will be prevented from attending future Think Between the Lines Events. 
  • Participants (including volunteers and presenters) are not required to be “on camera” at any point during any event. When “on camera” all participants must be wearing appropriate clothing. Nudity is not allowed during any event. Sexual activity is not allowed on camera or audio for any reason at any event.
  • Participants may message each other privately via Direct Message (DM)/Private Message (PM); however, discriminatory language and action is strictly prohibited and all messages, private and public, must adhere to the policies of all events.
  • Age verification is a process completed through discord; for all conferences, discord is the main “social” platform. You may be required to provide certain unique or specifically identifiable information to the staff volunteer.
  • Your legal information is only available to the organizer, and top-level staff of each event (may differ between events). You will need to provide registration for each event, even if you think you’ve already given it for previous events. Your legal information will only be used for emergency purposes and to verify your identity (and age in some cases) through our various online servers.
  • Personal information collected via registration will be used for convention operations and general statistical purposes (ie: how many people registered at which price points, how many people attending had never attended an online event, etc)
  • All personal information will only be shared as needed within top management and will be destroyed within two weeks of the end of the event. Staff members are required to keep confidential the privacy of all participants (excepting in the case of emergencies). In the case of emergencies, staff will make every effort in informing the individual that their personal information is being shared, with whom, and why prior to sharing it.
  • Information collected about presenter’s classes (such as feedback, number of attendees, and others) may be shared with organizers of other events and with the presenters offering those classes.
  • Participants may use different names for themselves in various settings. Please use the name associated with each person as described by each individual. If you are not sure what to refer to someone in a particular setting, it’s best to ask. Repeated accidental or intentional use of a name that is NOT what you’ve been asked to call someone may constitute grounds for removal from the event (without a refund where applicable). If you recognize someone from another situation, ask them what name you should use for them in this one. Outing is the process of revealing another person’s identity (traditionally LGBTQ+ identity, but also used for any non-obvious marginalized identity) without their permission. Outing of any person of any identity is not allowed at any Think Between the Lines event.
  • All participants in all events recognize that there is no expectation of privacy or confidentiality (among staff and outside assistance) in the case of a reported consent violation or when rules are broken.

Anti-Harassment Policy

All participants come to Think Between the Lines from different places in their own lives, have different cultural and legal backgrounds, and have different motivations for engaging in events through Think Between the Lines. Assuming the best intentions of all participants is the best way for all people to feel welcomed and wanted.

Think Between the Lines and all of its outlets aim to provide the best possible experience for all participants regardless of their differences. However, it strives to not only make space for, but to enhance the overall experiences at the event(s) and for the future, specifically to people of marginalized identities (including, but not limited to, gender, gender expression, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation and identity, disability, physical appearance, body size, religion, etc). Harassment, discrimination, and/or violations of consent are not welcome in these spaces. Violation of this policy may be grounds for removal from the event (without a refund where applicable) and/or prevention from attending future events. 

Harassment differs person-to-person; and any allegation of harassment is based solely upon the person experiencing it. Participants who feel they have been/are being harassed should contact a member of the CEC or staff. Participants may also email k.betweenthelines@gmail.com or utilize the event specific email.