Continuing my irregular series on convention Codes of Conduct, here’s one on the North American Science Fiction Convention, coming up this month in Buffalo. Compared to some others, the problems of the NASFiC code of conduct are minor. There’s nothing like “Don’t say anything negative about anybody” or “Don’t offend anybody.”

BUFFALO in all caps means the convention, not the city.

First, a little oddity: “BUFFALO requires that all individuals 12 and over have membership badges for the convention, and that they be clearly visible by being worn above the waist when at BUFFALO.” I haven’t seen the above-the-waist requirement before, though I suppose it makes sense for visibility. I’ll have to remember not to clip my badge to my belt, as I often do.

“Discrimination of any sort is not tolerated and is a violation of the code of conduct.” A non-exhaustive list of categories follows. Rules to this effect turn up at a lot of conventions, even though discrimination on a personal level is normal and ubiquitous. People often prefer hanging around with people of their own sex, age group, or ethnicity.

Discrimination against categories of people is wrong when a business or organization does it, including the convention itself. Dealers should treat potential customers the same whether they have light or dark skin, are gay or straight, male, female, or other, etc. Individuals should refrain from discrimination in matters of courtesy; for instance, they shouldn’t let their friends onto the elevator first. But people have a preference for some kinds of company over others, and there’s nothing wrong with that.

I’ll chalk this up to not fully understanding what the word “discrimination” means and using the word carelessly, so I won’t worry about it.

The weapons policy brings up a tricky issue. Give too little detail and the rules are vague. Give too much and they’re impossible to read, and people will find a way to lawyer them anyway. The Buffalo CoC doesn’t define what a weapon is; I’d have liked a bit more guidance. Are Swiss Army knives weapons? Are laser pointers? Box cutters? All kinds of things can be weapons in the hands of someone with the right skills. Some conventions reference locally applicable laws. The NASFiC CoC does this with regard to drugs: “In fact if whatever you are going to do is illegal outside of the convention, then it is illegal at the convention.” The same would apply to whatever New York State or the city of Buffalo says is an illegal weapon. If the convention wants tighter restrictions, that’s when it gets difficult. Some conventions are very strict about what might be a weapon; others just want to avoid serious trouble. It helps if attendees know where a con lies on that scale, and it isn’t necessary to pin down every hypothetical case to convey a general sense.

That’s a topic for further study, and hopefully it won’t become a major issue at this con.

As convention policies go, this is better than many, and there’s nothing to scare me away.