You may have been surprised by my silence about this year’s Balticon. It’s taken me this long to write calmly about it.
Like everyone who knows her, I was shocked and appalled by what happened to Stephanie Burke. Therefore, I have sent the con and its parent organization, BSFS, an email formally withdrawing my participation from future #Balticon programming until BSFS and Balticon resolve the systemic and procedural issues that led to her summary expulsion from the con Sunday, May 29.
I believe conventions should have codes of conduct and follow them. Individuals, organizations, and corporations should be held accountable for their actions. But #codesofconduct are not enough. What happened to Stephanie showed how easily a con’s code of conduct can be weaponized through misunderstanding and the lack of appropriate protocols to protect both accuser and accused until the truth can be determined. Balticon’s public actions in the wake of Stephanie’s expulsion fail to demonstrate any interest in preventing future misunderstandings or acts of spite.
I hope this is not the end of my association with Balticon. I hope the issues raised here and by others in connection with Stephanie’s experience can be resolved to the benefit of all. I would be happy to work with the con to develop strategies and procedures to prevent future incidents of this kind. But I will not return to the convention until adequate steps have been taken to safeguard the rights and persons of con participants, members, accusers and accused.
For the record, these are my thoughts as a writer and an individual. They do not reflect the views or positions of any of the professional or fannish organizations to which I belong or serve in any capacity.
