Culture and Expectations at Michigan Humanists Events Policy

Michigan Humanists events are primarily intended for humanists, atheists, agnostics, and skeptics who support MH and MH’s mission to advance a secular community and promote humanist values. Membership is not required in order to attend events, but it is encouraged.

MH attempts to provide a community where secular people have the opportunity to engage with other like-minded people to learn, discuss, and enjoy life from a humanist perspective — free of the promotion of religion, spirituality, pseudoscience, or anti-humanist values.

Michigan Humanists expects all guests to engage in respectful discussion. Critiques on views and claims based on merit are allowed, but not attacks on individuals who hold other perspectives.

An important value of MH is “civil dialogue” – engaging in polite, respectful discussion and debate about ideas, while not attacking those who hold them. It is MH’s goal to ensure that members and attendees are physically safe, free from hostility and harassment, valued and respected, treated equally, and in a friendly, welcoming environment.

MH recognizes that hostile and harassing behavior falls on a spectrum of severity and that unwelcome behavior can present itself in many ways and in many places. An ongoing pattern of socially inappropriate or disruptive behavior, intentional or not, can also be considered harassment. Any person engaging in disruptive behavior or harassment will be asked to leave, and may be banned from future events pending the severity of the action.

These expectations apply to speakers, staff, volunteers, and attendees at all events. They are implemented in accordance with Michigan Humanist’s Policy on Hostile Conduct/Harassment at Sanctioned Events. (See below)

Persons who are the targets of, or witness to these expectations being violated, or observe/experience hostile/harassing conduct, should speak to the event host or contact info@michiganhumanists.org.

If the violation occurs before/during an event please speak to a MH Staff person, Event Host, Advisory Board member or volunteer right away, so that the issue can be promptly addressed.

Hostile Conduct/Harassment Policy

Michigan Humanists Policy on Hostile Conduct/Harassment at Sanctioned Events

Michigan Humanists (MH) is an educational organization. As part of our educational mission, we hold regularly scheduled and special events. To ensure that everyone attending our events is able to participate in them fully, MH is committed to providing a safe and hospitable environment at our events. 

Accordingly, MH prohibits intimidating, threatening, or harassing conduct during our events. This policy applies to speakers, staff, volunteers, and attendees.

“Sanctioned Events” for the purpose of this policy includes any educational meeting or gathering organized or sponsored by MH to which nonemployees are invited. This policy applies to local or regional meetings.

Prohibited Conduct

In general, prohibited conduct includes any abusive conduct that has the purpose or effect of unreasonably interfering with another person’s ability to enjoy and participate in the event. 

Prohibited conduct includes, but is not limited to: yelling at or threatening speakers or attendees, or any significantly disruptive conduct; harassment based on race, gender, sexual orientation, disability, or any other protected group status, as provided by local, state, or federal law; or sexual harassment. By way of example, unwelcome sexual attention, stalking, and physical contact such as pinching, grabbing, or groping are prohibited.

Critical examination of beliefs, including critical commentary on another person’s views, does not, by itself, constitute hostile conduct or harassment. One of the underlying rationales of this policy is to promote the free exchange of ideas, not to inhibit it.

Consequences of Hostile or Harassing Conduct

MH has a zero-tolerance policy for hostile and harassing conduct. If a person engages in hostile or harassing conduct, appropriate action will be taken, which may include, but is not limited to, expulsion from the event. Threats of hostile conduct that are made prior to an event may result in exclusion from the event.

The exact remedy for hostile or harassing conduct will depend on an evaluation of all relevant circumstances, such as the severity of the conduct and prior violations by the person engaging in prohibited conduct.

When there is a reasonable basis for believing the conduct is illegal, appropriate law enforcement authorities may be notified.

Reporting Hostile or Harassing Conduct; Investigations

Persons who are the targets of, or witness to, hostile or harassing conduct should contact event staff. At sanctioned events the person(s) in charge will be introduced at the beginning and will wear identification tags. 

At larger sanctioned events, phone numbers for local law enforcement, and local emergency medical personnel will be made available to attendees to facilitate prompt response to complaints and/or requests for assistance during an emergency.

Reports of hostile or harassing conduct will be promptly addressed. On some occasions, where event staff are witnesses to the prohibited conduct, immediate remedial action may be taken. Where a report of hostile or harassing conduct is made to event staff after the conduct has occurred, reasonable measures will be taken to establish the facts. This will typically include discussion with witnesses, if any, and the person accused of engaging in the prohibited conduct. Inquiries into hostile or harassing conduct will be carried out as confidentially as possible given the circumstances.

Record-Keeping

MH will make a written record of all complaints/incidents as soon as practicable. These records will be used in connection with implementing this policy. These records will be maintained by the leadership of MH and will not be disclosed to individuals outside of the organization except as required by law.

Board members, staff, and volunteers must sign an acknowledgement of the Michigan Humanists Event and Culture Expectations which can be done here: https://app.dvforms.net/api/dv/6yp9yx