Zee Zee Theatre believes in striving for a standard of excellence in our art and our operations. In order to achieve this aim and to maintain the public’s trust and confidence in our organization, the highest standards of conduct on the part of those involved is essential.
The Zee Zee Theatre Community Guidelines are drawn from and inspired by the Growing Room Community Guidelines facilitated by Bakau Consulting and approved by Zee Zee’s Board of Directors October 23rd, 2020.
They have been created to outline the standards of conduct for all persons engaged in Zee Zee Theatre’s community, including our artists, employees, contractors, volunteers, board members, members of the society, donors, partners, and audiences (hereafter referred to as “the Zee Zee Community”).
Compliance with Guidelines
The requirement to comply with these guidelines is a condition of participation and involvement in the Zee Zee Community. Individuals who fail to abide by our community guidelines may be subject to removal from Zee Zee events and/or spaces.
Community Standards
The Zee Zee Community members are to treat each other with respect and dignity and must not engage in discrimination or harassment. The community standards are as follows:
Be mindful and respectful of boundaries.
Examples of boundaries to consider include, but are not limited to:
- Participation in activities
- Movement throughout the space (being mindful of physical disabilities, chronic pain, and/or injuries)
- Sensitivity to content (warnings should be included where possible)
- Introvert/Extrovert social considerations
Always practice consent.
Examples to be mindful of include, but are not limited to:
- Physical touch, including hugs or pats
- Disclosure of personal details or experiences
- Requesting personal details or experiences
- Taking photographs
Prioritize the use of respectful call-ins in favour of call-outs that intend to shame.
Rather than alienating folks and instilling fear of mistake-making, call-ins invite folks into a community of collective-knowing.
If behaviour is discriminatory and in violation of the Zero Tolerance Policy (see below), call-ins are not expected; Zee Zee Theatre staff or board, or event/space staff, are responsible for intervention.
Validate and affirm one another’s identities, including names, pronouns, and self-identifications.
Employ an ethic of non-interference, except in the case of invitation or necessity.
This ethic preserves the notion that marginalized folks, who have been denied space to fully express themselves, deserve to fully articulate their thoughts and interpretations.
Be mindful of your privilege; recognize the emotional labour you expect of others and the space you’ve been socialized to take up.
Act with strategy, thought, and care.
All Zee Zee Community members are encouraged to devote extra time to digest information and formulate thoughts prior to sharing. Attendees should maintain mindfulness of the effects of all contributions.
Zero Tolerance Policies
In adherence with the BC Human Rights Code and Zee Zee Theatre’s own intersectional values, discriminatory, oppressive or harassing behaviours are not tolerated at any Zee Zee Theatre event or space.
Discrimination
Zee Zee Theatre has zero tolerance for discrimination of any form including but not limited to racism, sexism, homophobia, biphobia, transphobia, misogyny, transmisogyny, fatphobia, ableism, audism, ageism, classism, Islamophobia, anti-Blackness, anti-Semitism, anti-sex worker rhetoric or bigotry of any kind. Discrimination may appear in the form of, but is not limited to:
- Verbal or written slurs
- Exclusion or denial of entry based on identity
- Cultural appropriation or mockery of sacred traditions
- Invasive, overly personal or inappropriate questions
- Stereotyping
- Microaggressions
Harassment
Zee Zee Theatre has zero tolerance for harassment of any kind. This includes but is not limited to:
- Physical harassment
- Direct threats of intent to inflict harm
- Physical attacks (hitting, shoving, kicking)
- Threatening behaviour (shaking fists angrily)
- Destroying property that belongs to another person
- Sexual harassment
- Sharing nude or sexual photos of oneself or others
- Sexual comments, jokes, questions
- Inappropriate touching
- Inappropriate sexual gestures
- Emotional or psychological harassment
- Isolation or exclusion
- Belittling or trivializing
- Discrediting, defamation or spreading rumours
- Gaslighting
- Verbal harassment
- Unfair or inaccurate criticism
- Unwanted heckling
- Slurs or unwanted cursing
- Yelling
- Online harassment
- Sharing humiliating images or stories
- Spreading lies or gossip on social media
- Sending harassing emails or messages
- Creating memes or images with intention to mock or harm
- Posting non consensual digital material
- Intentionally misquoting
Cultural Appropriation
Zee Zee Theatre has a zero tolerance policy for cultural appropriation which refers to the non-consensual copying or use of a sacred garment, phrase, language, accent, hairstyle or tradition from a culture that is not your own.
Microaggressions
Zee Zee Theatre considers constant use of microaggressions to intimidate, belittle, exclude or annoy another person as a form of harassment that will not be tolerated. Microaggressions, over time, result in a toxic environment for those who frequently experience them.
Microaggressions may include but are not limited to:
- Constant comments about a person’s appearance, clothing, race, ethnicity, lifestyle or identity
- Constant violation of personal boundaries
- Comments that are belittling, demeaning or patronizing
- Touching of someone’s hair, clothes or personal items
Trans Exclusionary Behaviour
Zee Zee Theatre has zero tolerance for anyone who perpetuates or supports TERF (Trans Exclusionary Radical ‘Feminists’) or similar ideologies at a Zee Zee event or space, which attack, exclude, and seek to delegitimize trans and gender diverse people, and reserves the right to remove and ban them from any Zee Zee Theatre event or space.
Unacceptable behaviour may include, but is not limited to:
- Exclaiming or implying that trans women are not women and/or trans men are not men
- Threats of verbal or physical violence toward trans and/or non-binary people
- Denying trans women access to women’s spaces and/or denying trans men access to men’s spaces
- Intentionally misgendering or deadnaming a trans or non-binary person
- Trans-misogynistic language or intent
- “Outing” a trans or non-binary person without their consent
Sex Worker Exclusionary Behaviour
Zee Zee Theatre has zero tolerance for anyone who perpetuates or supports SWERF (Sex Worker Exclusionary Radical ‘Feminists’) or similar ideologies at a Zee Zee Theatre event or space and reserves the right to remove and ban them from any Zee Zee Theatre event or space.
Unacceptable behaviour may include, but is not limited to:
- Threats of verbal or physical violence toward sex workers or people who have been involved in sex work at some point
- Denying current or former sex workers access to spaces
- Slut-shaming and whorephobia
- Perpetuating negative stereotypes about sex workers
- Exposing personal details about someone’s relationship to sex work without their consent
Accountability
Zee Zee Theatre strives to provide a space where people feel safe to engage and participate. In order to resolve conflict, Zee Zee Theatre reserves the right to establish the following consequences for behaviour that does not adhere to the community guidelines:
- A verbal warning
- A written warning
- A temporary or partial ban from Zee Zee Theatre events and/or spaces
- A permanent ban from Zee Zee Theatre events and/or spaces.
Removal From Events and/or Spaces
Zee Zee Theatre staff or board, or event/space staff, reserve the right to ask anyone to leave an event and/or space. A person may be asked to leave an event and/or space in one of the following circumstances:
- If they are displaying behaviour that is evidently toxic or abusive, and breaching the zero tolerance policy
- If they are putting themselves or others in harm’s way
- If they are behaving contrary to the space rules or community guidelines
- If an artist or production personnel asks for them to be removed
- If the person is identified as a threat or risk by someone else present
- If they are intentionally disrupting the event and refuse to stop
Addressing Conflict
Zee Zee Theatre endeavours to resolve conflict in a way that ensures those who have been harmed have their voices and experiences centered. To this end, those who report or raise concerns will be involved, where possible, in the resolution.
Follow Up
Zee Zee Theatre believes it is important to support people who have been harmed or impacted by discrimination, harm or oppression at a Zee Zee Theatre event and/or space. As such, Zee Zee Theatre is committed to following up with individuals who come forward with a complaint.