Documents such as our Code of Conduct, Access Policy, Inclusivity Policy, and Complaints Procedure will support us to ensure the above aims at Levitation itself, con events (in-person and online), and communication between the Levitation Team and members. We will also work with the venue and communicate with other local venues (hotels/restaurants) where possible to uphold these standards.
There are areas where we have a good deal of lived experience to draw on, and others to discuss with and learn from. However, there are areas where we lack the insight that can only be gained through living life encountering specific types of systemic oppression. Thus we welcome comments and concerns. There is a feedback form at the end of this document.
‘Inclusion’ as we use it in this policy means the active, considered, and consistent effort to ensure that:
- All members of Levitation, and all venue and hotel staff are safe and welcomed in our spaces;
- No one experiences harassment or harm from others present;
- Those who are systemically marginalised do not experience harassment or harm from others that is informed by their marginalisation (for example, a man repeatedly speaking over and belittling a woman, or a non-Black person’s fixation on touching a Black person’s hair);
- And that prior to Levitation every member is given the tools to challenge this behaviour, and to not perpetrate harmful or oppressive behaviours unwittingly.
Eastercon is a UK-based convention and Levitation is bound by the Equality Act 2010. However, we consider there to be more axes along which someone can be marginalised, so have a longer list of specific characteristics we will be addressing in this policy. We have included each protected characteristic of the Equality Act 2010 and some additional characteristics.
Inclusivity areas:
- Age
- Marriage and civil partnership
- Pregnancy
- Race
- Religion or belief
- Sexuality
- Body size
- Class/income
- Disability
- Gender
- Nationality
- Not an exhaustive list
Commitments:
- Bursary Support
- Child care and children’s activities
- Panel parity
- Physical Accessibility; Neurodiverse Accessibility; Mental Health Accessibility
- Safe spaces for marginalised groups
- Training for moderators to understand micro-aggression and engrained and implicit bias.
Do you have feedback?
If you have any feedback on the policy, email chair@eastercon2024.co.uk