Codes of Conduct

The British Fantasy Society is dedicated to providing a safe and comfortable experience for everyone. We welcome members of any and all genders, religions, sexualities, neurotypes, ethnic backgrounds, class backgrounds, disabilities, nationalities or any other characteristic.

In order to offer a welcoming and safe space for everyone, we require members to be respectful of all others in all BFS spaces, whether in person or online. No hate speech or hateful conduct will be tolerated, including comments which may not cross the line into hate speech but are considered by the committee to tend to create a hostile environment towards people of a certain group.

Failure to adhere to this Code of Conduct may result in membership of the BFS being revoked under article 2.5 of the BFS Constitution. 

Unacceptable conduct includes (but is not limited to):

• Offensive comments about gender, sexuality, impairment, physical appearance, body size, race, class/economic status or religion.
• Racist behaviour.
• Showing sexual images in public spaces.
• Note: Discussions or images related to sex, pornography, discriminatory language or similar is permitted if it meets all of the following criteria: organisers have specifically granted permission; it is necessary to the topic of discussion and no alternative exists; it is presented in a respectful manner; and attendees are warned in advance and respectfully given ample warning and opportunity to leave beforehand, or, if online, content warnings and spoiler tags are used. This exception does not allow use of gratuitous sexual images as attention-getting devices (such as clothing or costumes) or unnecessary presentation or panel examples.
• Intimidation, stalking or following – either online or in person
• Sustained disruption of talks or other events.
• Uninvited sexual attention.
• Symbols or images that the event organisers deem offensive. This could include t-shirt design or avatars.
• Behaviour which could bring the BFS into disrepute
• Defamatory comments about others
• Doxing other members by revealing personal information about them which they have not shared freely

Members must not engage in these behaviours at any time, in any BFS space. Members’ behaviour at third party events and non-BFS online spaces, may be taken into account as showing a pattern of behaviour.

Members asked to stop any of these behaviours are expected to comply immediately. This includes not only anyone involved in the incident, but also any onlookers contributing to the disruption.

This Code of Conduct covers all members of the Society, including life members and committee members. 

Complaints Procedure

In some cases, you may find the conduct stops if you clearly say “no” or “please leave me alone”. We would appreciate it if the BFS was still informed, by contacting the Chair or event host, to help us identify any repeat offenders.

If you wish to make a complaint about another member’s conduct, please report this to the executive committee at complaints@britishfantasysociety.org. The complaint will then be investigated by two members of the committee, at least one of whom will be an executive committee member. If the complaint is upheld, the committee will take whatever action they deem appropriate, including but not limited to: 

• Issuing a warning, which will be held on record by the executive committee
• Disallowing participation in events
• Disallowing attendance at events
• Revocation of membership of the Society
• Contacting law enforcement if the behaviour amounts to a crime
• Reporting the offender’s behaviour to third parties who run events with us

The complainant will be informed of the outcome of the complaint. 

A decision can be appealed by either party by contacting the Chair. Any appeal will be reexamined by two different members of the committee, at least one of whom will be an executive committee member. The appeal decision will be final. 

If you wish to make a complaint about the behaviour of the Chair, this can be done by contacting any other executive committee member. 

If you wish to report behaviour to us and discuss it without making a formal complaint, this can also be done by contacting us at complaints@britishfantasysociety.org or, if the behaviour occurs during one of our events, you can contact the event co-ordinator, or any volunteer assisting at the event. Please be aware that this information will be shared with the Chair, and records will be kept and shared within the executive committee in order to identify patterns of behaviour. All records will be kept in line with our privacy policy and for no longer than the committee deems necessary for the safe running of the Society.

The executive committee will hold both an incident log and a complete record of any complaints, the subsequent investigation, and the outcome. 

The British Fantasy Society reserves the right to refuse membership for any reason, while abiding by the terms of the Equality Act. Reasons for refusal may include behaviour at events run by us or other people, conventions, via email or messages that have made others feel uncomfortable or harassed.

If you are concerned about someone who is, or you think might be, attending one of our events, please contact the Chair of the British Fantasy Society (chair@britishfantasysociety.org).

If you are unsure for any reason, please do contact us to confirm.

Nothing in these terms and conditions is intended to be used to contravene the Equality Act or other UK law.

Online code of conduct

Covers: Online conduct, including workshops and events, and discord, social media.

Find it here