Another in my series of posts on SFF conventions’ codes of conduct. This time I’m writing about the one for Arisia 2026. Arisia is held in Boston or Cambridge in January each year. I haven’t attended Arisia in years, but I found the code of conduct surprisingly reasonable. However, there’s another requirement which potential attendees could find burdensome.
A nice feature is that if you object to it, you can get your membership refunded. This is a nice turnaround from the year that they surprised people in the registration line with a new list of terms they had to agree to.
The convention doesn’t have the overbroad restrictions on speech which some cons do. It prohibits “abusive, insulting, and/or harassing behavior” (not speech). The specifics include “hateful iconography,” which might be a gray area but isn’t inherently unreasonable. It says that “examples of hateful iconography can include, but are not limited to, those listed on the websites of the Southern Poverty Law Center and the Anti-Defamation League.” The SPLC sometimes goes overboard in its accusations, but the code says “can include,” not “includes.” For instance, SPLC lists Norse rune tattoos, which might be harmless. Hopefully Arisia can and will distinguish between ones that have coded meanings and harmless ones like G for Gandalf.
One sentence is confusing: “Student Memberships for ages 13-25 require a current valid student ID for students aged 18 and older.”
Aside from the code of conduct, there’s another issue: Masks will be required. There will be some spaces where people can remove their masks. The only specific requirement is that they must be “without an exhalation vent over the nose and mouth.” The requirement will undoubtedly reduce the spread not just of COVID, but of flu, colds, and other “con crud.” However, there’s a cost. Masks create a distance between people. Recognition is harder, and so is the conveying of feelings. It just isn’t the same when you can see only half the face of a friend you last saw a year ago. Performers may be allowed to go unmasked, so singers probably won’t be burdened. Parties can set their own policies.
Is the benefit worth the cost? People have different tolerances for risk. Some still participate only in online events. I sometimes wear a mask in crowded places like subway cars. Going to a convention entails many kids of risk, such as traffic accidents and street crime. You can’t reduce risk to zero. If I really wanted to go to Arisia, I don’t think the mask requirement would make me back out, but I’d think it was annoying.
Boskone, held the next month, is more my style, but I have no huge objections to Arisia’s code.
I’ve heard rumors that Arisia will skip 2027 but nothing official. If you know, mention it in the comments. Thanks. Update: It’s now official.
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