This policy is a “living” document, and subject to refinement and expansion in the future. Last updated August 25, 2020.

In/Visible Talks is dedicated to providing a harassment free and safe space for folks of all kinds to come together and have honest discussions about the craft of design. Everyone participating in the In/Visible Talks community and related events and/or spaces is required to agree to the following Code of Conduct. This includes all attendees, speakers, performers, sponsors, partners, volunteers, directors, staff, and online community members.

In/Visible Talks is dedicated to providing a harassment-free experience for everyone regardless of gender, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, disability, physical appearance, body size, race, age, religion, etc. This includes our in-person conference, virtual conference, salons and workshops, social media channels, and other events or online spaces that In/Visible Talks may host. We do not tolerate harassment of conference and event participants nor of INVT community members in any form. 

INVT participants and community members (including but not limited to attendees, speakers, performers, sponsors, partners, volunteers, directors, staff, and online community members) violating these rules may be sanctioned or expelled from the conference/event/community/space without a refund at our discretion.

We expect all INVT participants and community members to be welcoming, respectful, kind, inclusive, and to be careful in the words that you choose. Harassment, while largely intentional, may also be unintentional if consideration is not given to our words and actions. Harassment includes, but is not limited to:

● Verbal comments that reinforce social structures of domination [related to gender, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, disability, mental illness, physical appearance, body size, race, age, ethnicity, culture, social and economic class, educational level, nationality, language, immigration status, political views, family status, religion (or lack-thereof), etc.]

● Discriminatory jokes and language

● Unwelcome comments regarding a person’s lifestyle choices and practices, including those related to food, health, parenting, drugs, and employment

● Deliberate misgendering or use of ‘dead’ or rejected names

● Racism of any kind

● Gratuitous or off-topic sexual images or behaviour in spaces where they’re not appropriate

● Bullying of any kind, in-person or online

● Deliberate intimidation, stalking, or following 

● Harassing photography or recording

● Sustained disruption of talks or other events

● Inappropriate and/or uninvited physical contact, including simulated physical contact (eg, textual descriptions like “hug” or “backrub”) without consent or after a request to stop

● Unwelcome sexual attention

● Threats of violence

● Incitement of violence towards any individual, including encouraging a person to commit suicide or to engage in self-harm

● Pattern of inappropriate social contact, such as requesting/assuming inappropriate levels of intimacy with others

● Continued one-on-one communication after requests to cease

● Deliberate “outing” of any aspect of a person’s identity without their consent except as necessary to protect other INVT community members or other vulnerable people from intentional abuse

● Publication of non-harassing private communication without consent by the involved parties

● Advocating for, or encouraging, any of the above behaviour

Participants asked to stop any harassing behavior are expected to comply immediately.

If an attendee, speaker or other participant engages in harassing behavior of any kind, we retain the right to take any actions to keep the conference/event/community/space a welcoming environment for all participants. This includes, but is not limited to, warning the offender, expulsion from the conference/event/community/space with no refund, and/or contacting the appropriate authorities if necessary.

We expect participants to follow these rules at all In/Visible Talks conferences, events, online communities and related spaces. 

If someone makes you or anyone else feel unsafe, uncomfortable, or unwelcome, please notify us as soon as possible. Harassment and other code of conduct violations reduce the value of In/Visible Talks for everyone. We want you to be happy at our conference, events and in our community. 

You can make a report either personally to one of our staff or via email to info@invisibletalks.com.

Please note: In/Visible Talks prioritizes marginalized people’s safety over privileged people’s comfort. We reserve the right not to act on complaints regarding:

● ‘Reverse’ -isms, including ‘reverse racism,’ ‘reverse sexism,’ and ‘cisphobia’

● Reasonable communication of boundaries, such as “leave me alone,” “go away,” or “I’m not discussing this with you.”

● Communicating in a ‘tone’ you don’t find congenial

● Criticizing racist, sexist, cissexist, or otherwise oppressive behavior or assumptions

This Code of Conduct is based on the work of Geek Feminism, JSConf, and confcodeofconduct.com; and borrows liberally from Layers, XOXO, and Design Portland. We thank all involved for crafting these policies and making them readily available for us to advocate.

We welcome feedback on our code of conduct; if you believe an important qualifier of harassment is missing, please let us know at info@invisibletalks.com