Consent Policy
Please read the information provided below before completing the form.
TRC Consent Policy & Definition of Consent
Consent is a core component of any healthy BDSM / kink community. As consenting adults interacting in the BDSM / kink community, we must be as informed as we can be about the activities we participate in, and with whom we interact. TRC is committed to providing education that members can choose to build into their personal decisions about their participation in the lifestyle. TRC is further committed to fostering a community of persons who uphold positive consent practices. TRC Consent Policy is meant to help us all hold one another accountable for personal and community safety.
The TRC Consent Team and Policy were created in 2019 to provide an avenue to bring forward consent concerns. The Consent Team is committed to supporting our community by helping to address Consent Concerns with an impartial view. The TRC Consent Team may at times need to notify the TRC Board of Directors (BOD) of a recommended action relevant to someone’s membership. The TRC BOD is solely responsible for any votes/decisions about someone’s membership. TRC BOD elected the following persons to the 2023-2024 Consent Team: Chair-Diana Prince, Cheerful Fox, and Lindrea.
TRC defines Consent as a clear agreement between all parties to participate in a given activity and the agreement must be freely given, revocable, informed, ongoing, and specific! All TRC officers, directors, members and their guest(s) are expected to respect everyone’s consent boundaries, regardless of age, ethnicity, gender, orientation, kinks, roles, or relationships. No one is exempt from the TRC Consent policy and consent concerns should be reported even if they occurred outside of TRC events.
Examples of Consent Concerns, include but are not limited to:
Verbal or physical harassment / non consensual advances
Disrespecting personal space or boundaries of a person (or their property) that continues after boundaries are stated
Unnegotiated play, renegotiating* to expand limits once a scene has started, or ignoring a safeword or stated hard limit
*revoking consent is not an example of renegotiation in this application of the term
PLEASE remember, consent can be withdrawn at ANY time. To withdraw consent, say so! If someone withdraws consent, IMMEDIATELY stop all activity/action. At the TRC playspace, the simplest way to revoke consent is to use the house safeword: "Red!" If someone says, "Red!" a dungeon monitor will check in on their scene, ensuring everything/everyone is ok, or call an end to the scene if needed/desired. If you need to talk to someone right away, please speak with any TRC officer, director or the Manager on Duty (MOD) at the TRC party (their name will be listed on the whiteboard by the front office, or you can ask the front desk staff). Even if you speak with someone immediately, please also fill out the form!
When to Complete the Form:
The form should be completed to inform the Consent Team of consent concerns about any TRC member even if it occurred outside of a TRC event. The form should be completed by the person experiencing the consent concern, not by anyone else on their behalf. If a member is not comfortable completing the form they should email the Consent Team: consent@theredchair.org so we may contact them to ask if we can speak with them live and be the ones to complete the Form with their data as provided in the discussion. Alternatively, the member can reach out to any current TRC Board Member or Officer who will loop in the Consent Team to give guidance as needed.
If you need to alert TRC about concerning behaviors/actions that fall outside of a consent concern (some examples might include: telling racist or sexist jokes, exhibiting disrespectful behaviors, or otherwise causing a gut reaction of “this person is not ok”) about a member, someone seeking vetting, or someone seeking to attend an event as a guest, please email the information to leadership@theredchair.org. Leadership will review the matter and communicate accordingly with the Membership Coordinator or the Consent Team if needed.
Initial Processes After Completing the Form:
After receiving your form, the Consent Team will connect with you within 48-72 hours, via the email you provided. If you do not receive a reply email from us within that time window please send an email to consent@theredchair.org to follow up. We review the inbox daily, but would want to be alerted immediately if anything were amiss. In our initial reply, we offer an opportunity to set a call with us to talk through your form, if you wish. We will also explain any initial next steps that are planned. Because every situation differs, the overall process and timeline of follow up will vary, but we will remain in contact with you throughout. If there’s ever a time when you have a question or concern, please proactively contact/email us.