Sexual Harassment at Gaming Cons

[Green1]

ENworld, a very popular news site and forum for the pencil and paper gaming world put out an article a few days back.

It appears some big Kahuna of some obscure third party RPG content company allegedly went up behind a lady and smelled her hair, showed pictures of himself involved in sex acts with other gamer girls, and sent lurid e mails even after the con.

Now, this stuff is pretty lecherous if true.

But my deal is, what exactly can the con really do that they are not already doing? I've helped set up events. Making sure people know where their booth is, making sure you are ready for tons of people to show up, and dealing with the multitude of things come up.

But, really as a convention what else can you do except put in ALL CAPS don't be a jerk?

Mrs. Green says she would have decked the dude, but my geeky lady is brazen like that. A lot of New Orleans in her. Don't tinkle off NOLA girls, it is not good for retaining one's testicles intact.

Anyways: here is the article:

Harassment Policies: New Allegations Show More Work To Be Done
by Christopher Helton
Read more about: Industry
Tuesday, 1st May, 2018 07:06 AM If you enjoy the daily news and articles from EN World, please consider contributing to our Patreon!

The specter of sexual harassment has once again risen up in tabletop gaming circles. Conventions are supposed to be places where gamers and geeks can be themselves and embrace their loves. Conventions need clear and well formulated harassment policies, and they need to enforce them. In this instance the allegations from multiple women have taken place at gaming conventions and gathering in different locations around the country. In one case, the harassment was took place over the course of years and spilled over into electronic formats.



The alleged harasser in these cases was Sean Patrick Fannon, President of Evil Beagle Games, Brand Manager for Savage Rifts at Pinnacle Entertainment Group, as well as being a game designer and developer with a long history in the tabletop role-playing industry.

There is a long and untenable policy of harassment at conventions that stretches back to science fiction and fantasy fandom in the 1960s. Atlanta's Dragon*Con has been a lightning rod in the discussions about safety at geeky conventions after one of the convention's founders was arrested and pled guilty to three charges of molestation. We have also covered reports of harassment at conventions such as Paizo Con, and inappropriate or harassing behavior by notable industry figures. It is clear that clear harassment policies and firm enforcement of them is needed in spaces where members of our community gather, in order that attendees feel safe to go about their hobby. Some companies, such as Pelgrane Press, now refuse to attend conventions where a clear harassment policy is not available.

Several women have approached me to tell me about encounters with Fannon. Some of them asked not to be named, or to use their reports for background verification only. We also reached out to Sean Patrick Fannon for his comments, and he was willing to address the allegations.

The women that I spoke with had encounters with Fannon that went back to 2013 and 2014 but also happened as recently as the summer of 2017. Each of the locations were in different parts of the country, but all of them occurred when Fannon was a guest of the event.

The worse of the two incidents related to me happened at a convention in the Eastern part of the United States. In going back over texts and messages stretching back years the woman said that it "is frustrating [now] to read these things" because of the cajoling and almost bullying approach that Fannon would use in the messages. She said that Fannon approached her at the con suite of the convention, and after speaking with her for a bit and playing a game with a group in the suite he showed her explicit photos on his cellphone of him engaged in sex acts with a woman.

Fannon's ongoing harassment of this woman would occur both electronically and in person, when they would both be at the same event, and over the course of years he would continue to suggest that she should engage in sexual acts, either with him alone, or with another woman.

Fannon denies the nature of the event, saying "I will assert with confidence that at no time would such a sharing have occurred without my understanding explicit consent on the part of all parties. It may be that, somehow, a miscommunication or misunderstanding occurred; the chaos of a party or social gathering may have created a circumstance of all parties not understanding the same thing within such a discourse. Regardless, I would not have opened such a file and shared it without believing, sincerely, it was a welcome part of the discussion (and in pursuit of further, mutually-expressed intimate interest)."

The second woman, at a different gaming-related event in another part of the country, told of how Fannon, over the course of a day at the event, asked her on four different occasions for hugs, or physical contact with her. Each time she clearly said no to him. The first time she qualified her answer with a "I don't even know you," which prompted Fannon after he saw her for a second time to say "Well, you know me now." She said that because of the multiple attempts in a short period of time that Fannon's behavior felt predatory to her. Afterwards he also attempted to connect with her via Facebook.

Afterwards, this second woman contacted the group that organized the event to share what happened and they reached out to Fannon with their concerns towards his behavior. According to sources within the organization at the time, Fannon - as with the first example - described it to the organizers as a misunderstanding on the woman's part. When asked, he later clarified to us that the misunderstanding was on his own side, saying "Honestly, I should have gotten over myself right at the start, simply owned that I misunderstood, and apologized. In the end, that's what happened, and I walked away from that with a pretty profound sense of how to go forward with my thinking about the personal space of those I don't know or know only in passing."

Both women faced ongoing pressure from Fannon, with one woman the experiences going on for a number of years after the initial convention meeting. In both cases he attempted to continue contact via electronic means with varying degrees of success. A number of screen shots from electronic conversations with Fannon were shared with me by both women.

Diane Bulkeley was willing to come forward and speak on the record of her incidents with Fannon. Fannon made seemingly innocent, and yet inappropriate comments about her body and what he wanted to do with her. She is part of a charity organization that had Fannon as a guest. What happened to her was witnessed by another woman with whom I spoke about that weekend. As Bulkeley heard some things, and her witness others, their experiences are interwoven to describe what happened. Bulkeley described this first encounter at the hotel's elevators: "We were on the floor where our rooms were to go downstairs to the convention floor. I was wearing a tank top and shirt over it that showed my cleavage. He was staring at my chest and said how much he loved my shirt and that I should wear it more often as it makes him hot. For the record I can't help my cleavage is there." Bulkeley went on to describe her mental state towards this "Paying a lady a compliment is one thing, but when you make a direct comment about their chest we have a problem."

Later on in the same day, while unloading some boxes for the convention there was another incident with Fannon. Bulkeley described this: "Well, [the witness and her husband] had to move their stuff from a friends airplane hangar (we all use as storage for cars and stuff) to a storage until next to their house. Apparently Sean, while at the hanger, made grunt noises about my tank top (it was 80 outside) while Tammy was in the truck. I did not see it. But she told me about it. Then as we were unloading the truck at the new facility Sean kept looking down my shirt and saying I have a great view etc. Her husband said to him to knock it off. I rolled my eyes, gave him a glare and continued to work. I did go and put on my event day jacket (light weight jacket) to cover up a little."

The witness, who was in the truck with Fannon, said that he "kept leering down at Diane, glancing down her shirt and making suggestive sounds." The witness said that Fannon commented "'I'm liking the view from up here.'"

Bulkeley talked about how Fannon continued his behavior later on in a restaurant, having dinner with some of the guests of the event. Fannon made inappropriate comments about her body and embarrassed her in front of the other, making her feel uncomfortable throughout the dinner.

Bulkeley said that Fannon also at one point touched her hair without asking, and smelled it as well. "[Fannon] even would smell my long hair. He begged me to not cut it off at a charity function that was part of the weekend's event." She said that he also pressed his pelvis tightly against her body while hugging her. These incidents occurred at a convention during the summer of 2017.

Fannon denies these events. "The comments and actions attributed to me simply did not happen; I categorically and absolutely deny them in their entirety."

When asked for comment, and being informed that this story was being compiled Fannon commented "I do not recall any such circumstance in which the aftermath included a discourse whereby I was informed of distress, anger, or discomfort." He went on to say "The only time I recall having ever been counseled or otherwise spoken to about my behavior in such matters is the Gamers Giving/Total Escape Games situation discussed above. The leader of the organization at that time spoke to me specifically, asked me to be aware that it had been an issue, and requested I be aware of it in the future. It was then formally dropped, and that was the end of it until this time."

There were further reports; however, we have respected the wishes of those women who asked to remain anonymous for fear of online harassment. In researching this article, I talked to multiple women and other witnesses.

About future actions against the alleged behaviors he also said "It is easy, after all, to directly attack and excise obviously predatory and harassing behavior. It is much more difficult to point out and correct behavior that falls within more subtle presentations, and it's more difficult to get folks to see their actions as harmful when they had no intention to cause harm, based on their assumptions of what is and isn't appropriate. It's good for us to look at the core assumptions that lead to those behaviors and continue to challenge them. That's how real and lasting change within society is achieved."

Fannon's weekly column will no longer be running on E.N. World.

Have you suffered harassment at the hands of someone, industry insider or otherwise, at a gaming convention? If you would like to tell your story, you can reach out to me via social media about any alleged incidents. We can speak confidentially, but I will have to know the identity of anyone that I speak with.

This does open up the question of: At what point do conventions become responsible for the actions of their guest, when they are not more closely scrutinizing the backgrounds of those guests? One woman, who is a convention organizer, with whom I spoke for the background of this story told me that word gets around, in the world of comic conventions, when guests and creators cause problems. Apparently this is not yet the case in the world of tabletop role-playing game conventions, because there are a growing number of publishers and designers who have been outed for various types of harassing behavior, but are still being invited to be guest, and in some cases even guests of honor, at gaming conventions around the country. The message that this sends to women who game is pretty clear.

More conventions are rolling out harassment policies for guests and attendees of their conventions. Not only does this help to protect attendees from bad behavior, but it can also help to protect conventions from bad actors within the various communities that gather at our conventions. As incidents of physical and sexual harassment are becoming more visible, it becomes more and more clear that something needs to be done.

additional editorial contributions by Morrus

Here is the policy in question:

Details GenConAntiHarassmentPolicy

GenConAntiHarassmentPolicy

Notice "DONT MESS WITH THE COSPLAY GIRLS" in all caps!

It also says they can do everything from warn you, toss you out and take your money at least until the next con, on up to perma banhammer you! What else can you do as a con?

[Unorthodox]

Enforcement is the key. 

Sounds like the guy above has a track record.  This should probably earn him a ban list type situation. 

But I very rarely do the convention thing.  what do I know?

[Green1]

Yeah,

I am sure the guy if he is not already, is going to be on a perma-ban list at least for that con. Not sure about his company, since his company had a booth there. But he may have earned a permaban for his company, too. He may very well be not asked or banned from running any events at other cons, if those people know the runners of the other con or if people are raising enough stink. Which if you are front page of ENworld, you are.

I do know he wrote guest columns for ENworld. That has gone bye bye as the girl shared emails over there with the site owner. Along with free advertisement for his company's brand. Losing front page of ENworld hurts.

People are stupid...lol!

[Unorthodox]

I'll link to the premier Halloween show's policies for discourse. 

http://www.haashow.com/show-policies/

A couple things: 

Sexual harassment hasn't been a big issue at these shows.  Despite slutty costumes and extreme haunts that are little more than torture chambers being a thing.  I was curious why it wasn't more of an issue. 

I will, however, freely admit that there are likely more scantily costumed girls in employ at, say, E3 than at your average Halloween show.  There would be however, far more graphic content at the Halloween show (adults only content allowed, usually including nudity)

I notice a couple big things historically.  VENDORS get banned when one of their employees goes over the line.  This is a HUGE punishment, but ensures strict adherence.  This has been enforced a few times I know of, and a couple more I could find evidence of. 

And THE HOLIDAY THAT IS ALL ABOUT COSTUMES DOESN'T ALLOW COSTUMES FROM ATTENDEES ON THE FLOOR.  This is different than most of the 'fan' cons I've seen around.  Instead, they hold a HUUUUGE costume event at the Halloween conventions.

This keeps all the interactions on the floor a little more organized and contained for all concerned, really.  I don't know much about cosplay culture or how much this would impact those folk. 


I do know a lot of the "extreme" crowd are a little unhappy with the Halloween cons and trying to form up their own to discuss how best to restrain, grab, move, 'patrons' in their style of the business.  I think it's all horrible ideas. 

[Green1]

I hear you. That's the way it SHOULD work.

Problem is with some of these gaming forums is there are a lot of hardcore third wave feminists along with the whole gamergate thing. These people now have powerful positions in journalism and social media sites such as forum boards in pnp gaming. These people make a living being offended for ad money and donations.

I mentioned on that forum board that fact my wife would have decked him. Thought it would be funny. All of the sudden, they tried to make it like I was saying if someone did not fight back they were giving consent to advocating violence to being a rape sympathizer. "Laughing at sexual harassment..hahaha... fn idiot!", a mod posted in red. Needless to say, I like some of ENworld's articles. But these people are evil. They dox people, they take over your event and ostracize anyone from your event that does not agree with that religion, call your work, take stuff people say without reading and put it out of context to make them look morally superior, etc.

Needless to say, when one of the mods called me a dumbass, I just did not post anymore. It's their site, true. But that is just reactionary as hell. Enjoy your anti white male echo chamber.

Only thing I was originally saying was what else can the convention do except have a policy and enforce it. But, there are real people saying you need an FBI fingerprint check and be on no con craplist (which they have some control over) to run a game!

I am glad reality is better than the internet.

And yeah, you are right. Policy for a con should punish violators. That Fannon dude probably gets a perma ban with his company.

But there really should not be what some of the more hardcore factions are pushing that if you do not agree line be line with their personal beliefs you should be blocked from joining. Stuff should not even come up.

[Unorthodox]

I think you're missing my point.

GAMING (caveat, I mostly know electronic, not tabletop) has a lot of sexploitation ingrained into it.  And it's on full display in these cons. 

Halloween meanwhile ALSO has a lot of sexploitation ingrained into it, with entire markets geared towards selling 'sexy' items to the customers. 

But, the two markets have managed THAT ASPECT of it COMPLETELY differently.

I think this can be broken into 2 categories:

How the cons treat the professionals and how they treat the amateurs/cosplay.

Gaming professionals: Models/scantily clad females' job is entirely to turn on immature men/teens to be interested in the product that will theoretically feature more of the scantily clad females. 

I don't think you can eliminate this from these cons, actually.  And, as such there is always going to some measure of moron that sees this as invitation.  But there is something of a shift away from it. 

Halloween professionals:  Models are demonstrating a product.  This can range from a variety of costume down to prosthetics and down right nude body painting.  The focus is on the product and/or artists applying the product.  "Oh, that would look good on me/I could use that in my venue thusly".  Adults only venue. 

Gaming Cosplay/amateur:  Wandering floor seeking attention, sometimes even job offers.  This really should be looked at IMO.  There are ways to incorporate this aspect in a much more structured format to protect both the public (some of these guys are annoying as hell) and the actors/costumed. 

Maybe it's just the few cons I've been to. 

Halloween Cosplay/amatuer:  Banned from floor, with large events centered around this aspect almost every night. 

Note that neither of these address the moron linked above, but I do think the conventions could do more to protect themselves from ridicule as it relates to harassment. 

[Green1]

I never thought of it that way. Great point. I am glad I posted this here.

If you are doing Halloween as a pro, you are demonstrating a bonafide product.

If you are doing cosplay, you are advertising yourself (and free advertising for whatever franchise) for attention, perhaps job offers. maybe be a writer or games journalist. Everybody is fighting for attention except the actual (few) product vendors or merchant room swag folks.

Makes a huge difference.

Now the RPG cons I have been to have been gaming by day, raucous parties at night. All manner of free booze and otherwise socially awkward people hooking up right and left. I have memories of literally walking over people having sex in the hotel hallway on the way to grab another brew. Hell, one venue called CoastCon in Biloxi, they even had a crew called "The Porno Patrol" that had porn playing in the room party, people making out with strangers, rumored orgies, etc. From reading some of the earlier Cons like where the Hugo awards were in the 70s-80s from writers like George RR Martin, the ones 90s to late 00s were much more raunchy...

Now I could see some overlap in Halloween and BDSM... but the event you linked to seems about on order with some of thearts and craft shows me and Mrs. Green go to. Never heard any "harassment" due to that. But, most of us are older and most are married. After doing the event, we just want to go to sleep!

[Unorthodox]

Oh, there's the night parties at the halloween cons too.  But they keep them separate from the venue of the show.  They'll find local clubs and whatnot to host those.  This give a level of separation, literal and legal, to the convention. 

But, yes, it is a big weird arts and crafts show in the end. 

[E_T]

I imagine that there is a difference between the Halloween Cons and your standard Horror/Slasher Film Cons.

Gaming, Sci-fi/Fantasy, Horror/Slasher and other types of Cons are all possible types of places that your going to get some bad people that show.  But if no way to communicate the bad eggs in one venue, those people might go to multiple events and the show runners won't know to look for them.

Maybe a national Con show stalker database needs to be created...  or not...   Big Brother anyone??

[Rusty Edge]

My niece is a cosplay con person. She works floor security for multiple cons and stage dances at the raves. Recently she was promoted to manager of some sort. Based upon her rantings, the community is interconnected by social media. While there have been some serious groping/stalking issues, they are usually caused by a few people who are black listed. While they can repeat offend because they can wear disguises, the names and faces are shared among the cons, and the regulars like my niece can spot them. When that happens, they are escorted out by hotel/ convention center security.  So, travel, disguise, convention, room costs, amount to a serious fine for a brief appearance.

Sometimes there are ugly chance encounters between cosplayers and drunken businessmen in the hotels, but declaring that they are underagers attending a convention normally straightens out the misunderstandings quickly.

[Green1]

I imagine that there is a difference between the Halloween Cons and your standard Horror/Slasher Film Cons.

Gaming, Sci-fi/Fantasy, Horror/Slasher and other types of Cons are all possible types of places that your going to get some bad people that show.  But if no way to communicate the bad eggs in one venue, those people might go to multiple events and the show runners won't know to look for them.

Maybe a national Con show stalker database needs to be created...  or not...   Big Brother anyone??

Scary thing is that there are actually people calling for that.

There was a flap earlier this year about a guy that owned a gaming store that did Magic the Gathering collectible crack tournaments and Dungeons and Dragons adventurers league public sessions at the store he ran. I am not sure the specifics of it, but he turned out to be on a sex offender registry for being caught with kiddie porn on his computer. Wizards of the Coast, company that owns both games took away his store's sanctioning to run official events in his area.

Now, yeah, you do not want your games run by someone who does sick stuff like fap to kiddie porn running public games kids go to. Though, as devil's advocate, the sex offender registry has people on it that did stuff I think shouldn't get you blackballed like getting caught peeing behind a dumpster, but that is another topic. Kiddie porn, I understand. though there are crazy stuff out there with that like popping 18 year olds with kiddie porn for having a naked picture of a 16 year old girlfriend.

But when that story broke, there were actually people calling for pre employment level background checks for anyone in gaming, period. Keeping people from running games in a public space like a gaming store or convention with felonies but also misdemeanors even like public drunk, misdemeanor domestic violence, shoplifting, minor assaults, etc out of their someone's - either their own, the conventions, the companies that make the games,or the stores- own pocket.

But that stuff is expensive. While the sex offender registry is free, if you want to hunt down someone's drunk in public arrest from 10 years ago in another town, you got to get them fingerprinted, plop down 75 bucks, and mail off to the FBI. Which I understand for something like being a doctor or nurse... but do I really care if my Dungeon Master got in a stupid fight with his ex-wife 8 years ago and the cops got called out? Or even if the guy robbed a Circle K when he was 20 years old because he was around stupid people?

A few more extreme wanted even players at the table having background checks...

Add to that the volunteers that run the games rarely get paid. I got paid ONE convention a grand total of my admission plus 30 bucks because they were expecting a big turn out with the release of 3rd edition back in the day and were afraid the people would have no games to get into when they arrived.

No one is going to go to want to do this if you are looking up their ass for stuff that is irrelevent. I really don't think someone being arrested for being a drunk 6 years ago walking through the French Quarter should be denied being able to enjoy a pastime or hobby for life. Nor do I think that should be a company you do free advertising and service for's business.

But with the harassment issue, we get into other greyer areas. There are rabid people on each side of the debate. Some will be glad to shut down your website and hurt your employment if you disagree. There are serious jerk predators who believe they are entitled to touch whatever they want and get away with it. There are also manipulative evil b!ches out there who will falsely accuse someone of something out of revenge and not have to prove anything and if you are not well off enough to defend yourself, stands without proof or convictions. If you doubt the last part, just ask Bruce Wardell of Stardock.

Fortunately, these people are rare. Most of these doom and gloom stories are from the games media, which ironically does not have many actual gamers. Many view the gamers as lecherous man-children. Nothing gets ad clicks like a train wreck or stuff that triggers folks.

[Green1]

Oh, there's the night parties at the halloween cons too.  But they keep them separate from the venue of the show.  They'll find local clubs and whatnot to host those.  This give a level of separation, literal and legal, to the convention. 

But, yes, it is a big weird arts and crafts show in the end. 

Well, the cons rent out entire room blocks of hotels just for the room parties. They even call it "the host hotel" and it's the place you want to be. There is a not insignificant number of folks who may step on the actual convention floor maybe 20 minutes the whole con who are there only for the room parties and never game.

It is inseparable at some cons (Some War Game minis cons are an exception - people just game then leave the one or two I have been to). They even have people carding at the entrance to the room blocks so the convention can not be accused of giving underage folks booze.