Off Topic > General Furry Talk

Women at Furry Conventions

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Sithy:
The problem does not lie in saying no. I am perfectly capable of saying no without causing a fuss. I'm also perfectly capable of using my elbow to ram someone's ribs if no is not enough :-)

The problem lies in people going on when you say no. And I know a lot of people (girls and guys) who are afraid to go to Security because they're afraid they will be belittled and told "you should have been more clear" or to hear "well this community is just touchy-feely". That hasn't happened at EF as far as I know just to be clear, but I've encountered that attitude countless times at anime cons or sci-fi cons.

It's awesome this community runs on hugs, that's great. Doesn't mean it's OK to grab someone's breasts or butt. It's about having respect.

Dragony:
I do really know, that there are situations (e.g. in you own life or whatever), where you are not able to say more as a single "No". And it have to be enough. So it's never a fault of the person who was harassed, it's the person who is harassing because the person didn't listen.

For myself, I was a victim a few years ago. So I think, I'm really able to rate a situation an can be very empathic or sensitive. So I can say with a clear conscience: If you have any problems with harassments, get in touch with me and we find a solution.

Gyroplast:
The perfect opportunity to butt (har har) in for me!

I can't say it too often: We had and will always have a fair share of creeps on EF. This certainly does not only affect women, but also fursuiters, who are possibly perceived as "even more helpless", and therefore the perfect victim for (sexual) harassment.

Unfortunately, security on it's own can do next to nothing to prevent such issues, and only very little when such issues are reported. Nevertheless, please do always report harassment, if it's not a simple misunderstanding, or solved with a clear "bugger off, I do not want you near me". We always take such complaints seriously, and have a clear talk to the ones involved to make absolutely clear what is acceptable, social behaviour, and what is not. It's not hard to keep at least two arm's lengths distance to somebody, and "repeat offenders", whose names are dropped more often, get special attention from us.

Of course, we cannot outright ban anybody on a thin basis of "somebody said he was harassed". Some furries would totally use this as a weapon against people they don't like, and EF security will not be their drama executive force, period. Gotta walk a thin line here, so please don't be offended if our actions aren't immediately obvious to you. I assure you it's neither neglect, nor ignorance.

To sum it up: If you feel harassed, talk to security. This is escalated to Dhary or me, as we collect such reports during the convention, to find patterns. We will want to talk to you and the alleged offender, not necessarily together, to find a mutual agreement how both parties can continue to enjoy EF without stepping on each other's toes. Please do make sure, however, that you clearly told the offender to leave you alone, otherwise they WILL pull the "I didn't know! I'm soooo sorry!" card when confronted later, and we're screwed. Get a seccie to tell him once in clear words, if you don't feel comfortable yourself, but do it!

If you take anything with you from this posting, let it be this: Talk. To. Security. And get the name/registration id of the offender, if at all possible. Security will help with that, too. Don't wait three days, do it right. Now.

That being said, the *reports* we get are very, very limited, so we can only guess that EF is rather safe after all in this regard. But we do assume that our "Dunkelziffer" is rather high; Many victims don't tell us they felt uncomfortable, and sweep things under the rug. Don't be a victim. We want creeps not to be creepy as much as you do.

Always remember: You may handle a sexual assault well, but will your friends, too, if they;re next?

Thanks,
  Gyro

Ziggy_wolf:
Well as for bringing more women and evening out the gender differances about a third of the people we`re bringing are female. I for one feel comfertable and safe bringing my little sister along. However as a guy I see a lot more guys hitting on me. Don`t get me wrong it`s nice that they like me, but when you pop out of nowhere and grab my ass don`t be offended if I smack your paw. If there`s a ring on that finger don`t tap it. I`ve seen my share of flirting towards women, especially if the have a cute outfit, but seldom any grabbing, like gay males tend to do. But all in all people tend to be respectfull, when I politely decline, and from what I`ve seen people in general are polite.

A. Rakiri:
Well....i would love to see more woman at EF, including ones who feel that they think not many other woman are there and most are guys because that would put them off from going...just get yourselves to the fur cons ladies and enjoy yourself! :3

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