The Latter-day Saint Publishing and Media Association (LDSPMA) is dedicated to providing a safe, harassment-free environment for all its members and event participants. LDSPMA therefore has a zero-tolerance policy regarding discrimination, intimidation, and harassment of any kind, whether on the basis of race, national origin, age, sex, sexual orientation, disability, or any other characteristic.
Harassment includes verbal and written comments; displayed images; and behaviors such as stalking, inappropriate physical contact, unwelcome sexual attention, unwelcome photography or recording, sustained disruption of presentations, and bullying or coercion of any kind.
Harassment does not include respectful disagreement or reasonable and respectful critiques made in good faith.
LDSPMA’s antiharassment policy applies to all LDSPMA events, activities, and online interactions. LDSPMA encourages members and other participants to hold one another accountable for adhering to the antiharassment policy and to take the perspectives of others seriously when a disagreement arises.
Reporting Procedures
Any person who believes the antiharassment policy has been violated should report the offense in one or all of the following ways:
- Talk with a member of LDSPMA’s board of directors during an event.
- Email the report to info@ldspma.org.
- Complete the Antiharassment Report Form at https://www.ldspma.org/ldspma-harassment-reporting-form/. Reports can be filled out anonymously or with identifying information. Reports should include the substance of the complaint; the date(s) of the harassment; and, when possible, a list of witnesses or relevant URLs if the offense occurred online. LDSPMA will monitor its email at all times, including during LDSPMA events, to quickly see any reports of harassment. LDSPMA will fully investigate all complaints and take whatever action is necessary to prevent recurrence of the harassment. LDSPMA will make every effort to respond to a named complainant in a timely manner. LDSPMA will not be able to follow up with a complainant who has reported the harassment anonymously.
Nonretaliation
LDSPMA’s antiharassment policy prohibits retaliation against an LDSPMA member or event participant for reporting harassment, intimidation, or discrimination or for participating in an investigation relating to any complaint made. The sanctions for retaliation are the same as for addressing other violations of the antiharassment policy.
Sanctions
LDSPMA takes all allegations of harassment seriously and will investigate every report, with the assistance of independent consultants when appropriate. The results of the investigation and the recommendations of the panel will be reported to LDSPMA’s board of directors, who will determine, in conjunction with the panel, the appropriate sanction.
Sanctions for presenters, staff, and board members may include the following:
- Warning the individual that the specified behavior is inappropriate and must be ceased
- Immediately removing the individual from the event
- Denying the individual access to LDSPMA spaces and venues on a temporary or permanent basis
- Withholding a contracted honorarium
- Banning the individual from future speaking engagements
- Terminating the individual’s membership in LDSPMA
- Removing the individual from the board of directors, staff position, or speaking position
Sanctions for members and participants can include the following:
- Warning the individual that the specified behavior is inappropriate and must be ceased
- Immediately removing the individual from the event, without a refund
- Denying the individual access to LDSPMA spaces and venues on a permanent or temporary basis
- Terminating the individual’s membership in LDSPMA, without a refund
- Prohibiting the individual from future LDSPMA membership
Confidentiality
LDSPMA will make every reasonable effort to conduct investigations into allegations of harassment, intimidation, and discrimination in a manner that will protect the confidentiality of all parties. However, confidentiality is not absolute, and those with a legitimate business reason to know and be informed of the allegations will be informed. Parties to the complaint should treat the matter under investigation with discretion and respect for the reputation of all parties involved.
If you wish to file a complaint, go to the Harassment Reporting Form.
If you have questions regarding this policy, please email info@ldspma.org. Please include the words antiharassment policy in the subject line.
LDSPMA acknowledges the contributions of Geek Feminism, Science Fiction Writers of America, WisCon, and the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI) for their work in developing antiharassment policies. LDSPMA’s antiharassment policy includes many of the elements presented in SCBWI’s policy.