Psygentra has a zero tolerance policy regarding:

 

• Bullying and harassment (either online or in-person) 

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• Violence and abuse (including physical, emotional, sexual, and financial abuse)

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• Hate speech (including sexism, racism, xenophobia, classism, ableism, transphobia, interphobia/dyadism, homophobia, and biphobia)

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• R*pe apologism (i.e. minimising, trivialising, normalising, rationalising, or justifying s*xual abuse - prioritising abusers over survivors)

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• Victim-blaming (i.e. focusing on the behaviours, actions, or identities of the victims/survivors, dismissing or ignoring actions of abusers)

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• Gender exclusion in discussions around violence and abuse - e.g. do not assume that all perpetrators are cisgender men and all victims are cisgender women. We include and make space for survivors of all genders, including Two-Spirit, nonbinary, intersex, and transgender and cisgender women and men.

 

Students/Members are to promote a culture of respect and consent.

They should aim to:

 

• Check with others on their capacity to discuss difficult topics. E.g. 'I need to offload about something and it involves talking about r*pe. Is this something you feel up to listening to right now?'  

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• Provide content warnings prior to engaging in emotive discussions where possible. E.g. 'CW: r*pe, victim-blaming, childhood s*xual abuse)..................When I was reading the paper by Johnson (2008) I found their perspective on the sexual abuse of children to be victim-blaming, especially when the victims were girls.'

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• Respect and understand that some people with communication diversities/differences, or those who have been triggered, may find it difficult to provide content warnings, particularly when communication occurs in real-time or in-person. That it will be a new skill to some people and they may need practice. 

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• Refrain from using offensive and harmful language or 'slurs' (including hate speech). If critiquing or condemning offensive terms, please censor the word/phrase (e.g. f*get). This does not apply to people from marginalised communities reclaiming and redefining slurs. 

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• Refrain from tone policing - appreciate that anger can be a valid and functional response to violence and oppression. 

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• Appreciate that being aggressive towards another person is not the same as someone experiencing their feelings in a safe(r) space (i.e. feeling the emotion of anger is not the same as acting on it, and anger can be directed into healthy and constructive activities as well as unhealthy and destructive activities). Do not be aggressive towards others.

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• Avoid toxic positivity - try not to frame other people's experiences in unrealistic and dismissively positive ways, such as telling victims of abuse that 'everything happens for a reason' or that the abuse is the reason for their 'strength' or who they are today. These reframings can be harmful for multiple reasons, such as failing to acknowledge the suffering involved in the abuse, and giving credit for the individual's survival to the actions of abusers.

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• Understand that some people are new to these topics and are beginning their journey of unlearning - be kind. 

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• Take responsibility for harm caused, even if unintentional - if you make a mistake such as (unknowingly) using a slur or an offensive term, admit it, apologise for it, learn more about it, and commit to doing better in the future. It happens.

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• Listen more, argue less - if you find yourself disagreeing a lot with the content or with your fellow students/members, rather than engaging in a confrontational debate about gender/sex etc., listen to other perspectives and reflect on why you feel so challenged by them. Do not challenge the rights or existence of people, groups, and/or communities (e.g. based on their gender, race, sexuality, disability, etc.).

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• Check your privilege - reflect on the society you live in and your place in it. Where do you experience barriers and where are things easier for you than others? What oppressions do you not experience and how might that inform how you act and communicate with other members?

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• Do not demand or expect free labour by asking others to educate you about their oppression or personal experience. 

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• Do not ask invasive or personal questions - let others choose what they want to share with you.

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• Respect boundaries. E.g. physical (if applicable), time (people are not available 24/7), and communication (some people communicate differently, some topics are off-limits for some people etc.).

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• Respect people's privacy and confidentiality - do not share other people's information or things that they have shared with you without their permission. Do not record, screenshot, alter, or take pictures of videos, forums, profiles, online courses, virtual or in-person meetings, teaching, or supervision. Do not share copyrighted content made by psygentra (e.g. online courses, books, etc.) without prior written consent from Dr. Jem Tosh. 

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• Believe survivors.​​

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Do no harm, but take no shit