Safety
- The Bindery is strictly an 18+ space, we reserve the right to check ID and refuse entry without exception.
The Bindery is an inclusive space. We welcome people of all walks of life.
- Intolerance, bigotry, or discriminatory behaviour in any form will not be tolerated. If you behave in a violent, harassing or threatening manner, verbally or physically, you will be asked to leave.
Harassment includes offensive verbal comments, deliberate intimidation, harassing photography or recording, inappropriate physical contact, or unwelcomed sexual attention.
- We do not tolerate the use of racist, homophobic, transphobic, misogynistic or ableist language.
- The Bindery reserves the right to ask patrons to stop tying, and potentially leave the premises if an activity is deemed unsafe.
- Do not take photos or videos of other patrons either directly or in the background of yourselves, without explicit verbal consent for each image/recording. Do not post photos/videos of anyone other than yourself without explicit verbal consent.
- You must have safety shears on hand close by during all rope scenes.
- Please do not tie above your skill level.
Courtesy
- There is no strict list of behaviours or comments that make people feel uncomfortable. You should always consider how your actions are affecting others and modify your behaviour to ensure everyone is comfortable.
- Please be aware of your immediate surroundings to avoid accidental collisions, harming yourself or others. This includes ensuring your scene is not encroaching on the space of others and avoiding walking through a peer’s scene.
- If you are not a teacher, please do not offer unsolicited advice to others.
- Be respectful to event organisers and other staff members, even if you are experiencing a momentary personal frustration.
- Do not touch anyone’s equipment without their permission. Avoid stepping/walking on anyone’s equipment, including rope.
Consent
Consent is an agreement between participants to engage in an activity. Informed consent should be obtained through mutual discussion, communication and decision making. Consent must be actively, not passively, given throughout an activity.
- Explicit verbal consent must be obtained before touching anyone.
- Never assume that there is implied consent.
- Be as specific as possible when asking for consent.
- Be aware that any participant may withdraw consent at any time.
- Respect that indecision is not consent, and do not set out to convince someone to change their mind.
- Gain consent for each different activity.
Dealing with Grievances
If you feel unsafe or experience any behaviour that crosses a boundary, or violates this code of conduct, please approach a Bindery team member who you are comfortable talking to. They can talk to you about how you wish to deal with the issue, and act on your behalf if you desire.
We acknowledge that we cannot be everything for everybody, despite our best efforts and intentions. As such we will always endeavour to do our best and use our best judgement.
Community Safety Policy
We strive to create an environment that reflects our personal core values of care and safety. We want to give the opportunity to all our patrons to share information about situations or individuals that concern them. If you believe that a person does not match our values, has violated the code of conduct, or presents a danger to our community, please let a team member know.
We want to use this information to help create a safe space for everyone. If we receive information that a person represents a potential danger to others, we will investigate. When we are contacted about a consent violation or potential predator, we will first discuss the situation with our team. Depending on how you ask us to proceed, we may follow up with other community members who may be willing to provide their perspective of events. If warranted, we will contact the reported individuals to let them know that we have received a report about them and provide them with an opportunity to discuss the situation with us. We will decide if action needs to be taken, if we believe someone does not match our values or if we believe the situation poses a danger to those attending our events. We will privately notify those affected by our decision. If someone has been banned from our events, we are open to discussion after 12 months if the person can demonstrate that they have gone through an accountability process, changed their behaviour, and feel that they can respect our values. Please note that we may decline requests if we do not believe that allowing people to return to our events will honour our values.
Living Document
Our understanding of ethics and ideologies can change over time. As such, this is a living document, meaning that we will do our best to update it to reflect current best practices. We understand that this document and policy cannot cover all situations comprehensively. Due to this, we welcome the discussion and improvement of this policy. Whenever a significant change to this document occurs, we will do our best to inform you and invite discussion on the topic. If you have any concerns or suggestions, please contact a team member.