Creating safer, inclusive queer spaces
DIY Pride Reading is committed to creating safer, inclusive queer spaces. We want these spaces to be places where we are safe to be the fullest extent of ourselves without having to live in fear of violence.
Our principles and practices of keeping our community safe are abolitionist-, queer-, & trauma-informed and are grounded in disability justice and trans-inclusive queer solidarity that begin with compassion.
To create safer spaces in Reading where our diverse queer community can come together, learn from one another, develop caring and critical practices we must be intersectional, anti-colonial, anti-capitalist, anti-corporate, and anti-cop.
DIY Pride Reading is committed to creating a collaborative, collective, and community-oriented event where everyone is treated with dignity and respect. We acknowledge we have limited capacity and resources as a volunteer-run event. As such, we have developed a safer spaces policy and anti-harassment policy with these resources, capacities, and commitments in mind.
Our safeguarding policy is available here (right click to open in new tab).
Code of conduct for volunteers, workshop leaders, and performers
DIY Pride Reading is committed to providing a safe, inclusive and supportive environment for all, and expects that all working relationships be characterised by respect. This includes safeguarding all participants and performers across all our activities, regardless of gender, gender identity and expression, age, sexual orientation, disability, physical appearance, body size, race, ethnicity, religion (or lack thereof), or technology choices.
DIY Pride Reading has a zero-tolerance of any behaviour that constitutes discrimination, bullying or harassment of any form, as detailed in full on our website. If such behaviour occurs, volunteers and/or performers may be asked to leave the event at the discretion of the DIY Pride Reading organising committee.
While working with or representing DIY Pride Reading, including in social settings and online (i.e., at performances or events and on social media), volunteers and performers must agree to:
Organising Committee working agreement
DIY Pride Reading also has a working agreement in place to ensure all members of our organising committee work together effectively and support each other to meet our shared goal. We acknowledge being membership on the committee is voluntary and not a full-time role and, as such, we know that everyone has a different capacity for the amount they are able to contribute. We want to make sure each of our members feels supported and confident to carry out their role to the best of their ability.
How we respond to actions or behaviour that needs intervention and/or de-escalation
DIY Pride Reading has developed a set of procedures to support volunteers, performers, organisers should they need to respond to actions or behaviour that goes against our code of conduct and anti-harassment policy and needs intervention and/or de-escalation. These procedures were developed in consultation with Double Okay and draw on training they received from Safe Only CIC; volunteers, workshop leaders, and performers will be briefed on these procedures in advance of the event and they will be made available digitally and in hard copy.
To keep all our attendees safe, we are asking everyone to wear a mask, unless exempt, when inside at DIY Pride. We have members of the committee who are immunocompromised and want to keep them and all other attendees safe. We hope this will also allow others with health issues to attend and know that the event is safe for them.
We will have masks available on the day and our volunteers will be asking people to wear a mask. You do not need to wear a mask in any outside spaces. Anyone who refuses to wear a mask will be asked to leave the venue.
Wearing a mask will also obscure you from any facial recognition software that may be in use in the town centre.
Anyone who has bought a ticket but would no longer like to attend due to masking, please contact us and we can refund your ticket.
DIY Pride Reading is committed to creating a collaborative, collective, and community-oriented event where everyone is treated with dignity and respect. This includes providing an environment free from bullying and harassment.
Our anti-harassment policy applies to all events and meetings held under the auspices of DIY Pride Reading and to all participants, regardless of individuals’ status. It applies to events held in-person, remotely, or in hybrid formats. It also applies to activities such as email, letter, or social media posts.
Harassment is unwanted conduct related to a relevant protected characteristic, where that conduct violates a person’s dignity or creates an intimidating, hostile, degrading, humiliating or offensive environment for that person, even if this effect was not intended by the person responsible for the conduct.
Harassment can include, but is not limited to: verbal harassment, threats, intimidation; using offensive spoken, written, visual, or bodily language related to, but not limited to protected characteristics; sexual misconduct, unwanted sexual attention, inappropriate physical contact including, but not limited to non-consensual touching with any part of the body or an object; stalking, unwanted online communication, and the creation of new accounts to harass persons encountered through DIY Pride Reading events and meetings; and physical or verbal abuse and bullying. (Protected characteristics are: sex, gender reassignment, race (which includes colour, nationality, and ethnic or national origins), disability, sexual orientation, religion or belief, and age.) Bullying or harassment need not be limited to protected characteristics to be opposed by DIY Pride Reading.
This requirement for a collaborative, collective, and community-oriented event does not infringe upon engagement with potentially offensive material or with discriminatory language or practices. However, such engagement must be proportionate and relevant, and the tone and language of the performance or workshop should be conducted with care to avoid harm to the audience.
Someone who experiences or witnesses harassment might feel able to raise the matter with the person who is creating the problem. In this case an informal discussion might help the person to understand the effect of their behaviour and change it. In other instances, persons who experience or witness harassment should seek out any members of DIY Reading Pride organising committee or the organiser(s) of the event, and they will deal with the matter in consultation with the organising committee. You can contact DIY Pride Reading by email: diypriderdg (at) proton (dot) me. The organising committee and event organiser(s) will listen and take your concerns seriously with every effort at confidentiality.
Harassment will not be tolerated at DIY Pride Reading. The DIY Pride Reading organising committee and/or the lead organiser(s) of the event may impose any sanction they deem appropriate to deal with harassment, ranging from a warning to expulsion without refund from an event, or future bans on attendance at DIY Reading Pride events.
If you have a question about this policy please raise it with the DIY Pride Reading organising committee.