Accountability
At Pop Gym, it is very important for us to create Saf(er) Spaces for the benefit of our attendees’ educational experience. At the same time, we also believe in ideals of Transformative Justice that attempt to see transgressors not as “rule breakers who should be punished”, but as people with a lot of internalized oppression who have the potential to change. Finding the balance between the values of Saf(er) Spaces and Transformative Justice can be challenging, but we strive to do our best to make space for those affected by acts that transgress our Saf(er) Space policy, while also calling in those who have negatively affected others, with the hope that they can learn/grow from this experience.
More concretely, here are some of the things we will do in our workshops if an attendee does not respect the space, boundries and/or limits of others
At our workshops, we do not tolerate the following:
- Any the use of language that purposefully demeans folks based on ability, activist experience, age, cultural background, education, ethnicity, gender, immigration status, language, nationality, physical appearance, race, religion, self-expression, sexual orientation, species, status as a parent and all the ways they intersect.
- Any physical/emotional violence against other workshop participants.
- Any continuous non-consentual harrasment of workshop/class attendees.
If a participant acts in any of the above ways, they will be asked to leave. This decision is made on the workshop facilitator’s behest, and is done so if they feel that a participant’s presense is negatively effecting the experience of others. The facilitator may also speak with the transgressor to guage if they can be mindful of how they are effecting the space, and can determine if they can stay.
If a participant has been previously asked to leave workshop, they may return only at our behest, depending on the severity of the act they have occured. We are always open to discuss a participant’s return after a transgression, but we will first and foremost prioritize the needs of the folks affected by the transgression. If no redress can be made on behalf of the affected person(s), and/or if the transgressor is not willing to apologize for/understand how they have erred, they will be asked not to return to future Pop Gym events.