CODE OF CONDUCT

KY is a community full of people from all walks of life. The people are our biggest asset in our everyday work because KY’s operations are based on our members working together. To ensure that everyone feels safe and welcome in our community, KY has a Code of Conduct that every KY member should read and follow. The Code of Conduct describes the principles and policies we follow and sets the guidelines for the kind of behavior we expect from each other.

The Code of Conduct applies to all KY members, KY employees, attendees of KY’s events, partners of KY and all people who hold a position of trust at KY or in an association operating under KY. The principles described in it should be followed in all kinds of interactions between members of our community, whether those are carried out live or remotely.

Events are an integral part of KY and thus our Code of Conduct is especially important when it comes to them. Our goal is to create events where everyone feels safe and welcome to participate. All our events are dedicated to providing harassment-free conditions for everyone regardless of their gender, age, sexual orientation, disability, physical appearance, race, ethnicity or religion. KY has zero tolerance for all kinds of harassment and inappropriate conduct or behavior. This includes, for example, all kinds of violence, unwelcome touching, inappropriate comments or gestures about someone or their appearance and unsolicited suggestive communications in any format.

Above all we want you all to feel safe and have fun in all of our events.

Here are some tips on how to conduct yourself in our events to ensure a good and safe experience for everyone:

1. Make yourself visible when approaching someone new. You don’t need to take anyone by surprise. 2. Ask for consent. May I join you? May I get you a drink? 3. Avoid following or staring at someone forever as it may make them uncomfortable. 4. Give people their own personal space. 5. Avoid filming people without their permission. 6. Don’t flirt with someone who needs care.

Helping someone who is having a difficult time is not an open door to flirt with them and if someone is having a hard time communicating or can’t take care of themselves, they can’t consent to sexual interactions.

If you spot a situation that seems to go against our Code of Conduct or where intervention could be needed, here are some ways you as a bystander can help:

• Delegate the situation to a bouncer or the event organizer or have them assist you in breaking up the situation. • Directly confront the situation if you feel safe to do so. Ask if everything is okay or if help is needed and help the person getting harrassed exit the situation. • Create a distraction by, for example, pretending you’re a friend of the person getting harrassed and create an opportunity for them to leave the scene. • Document the situation, since filming or writing down what’s happening can be useful later on. • If none of these help, wait the situation out and check on the person when the situation itself has passed.