At PyCon UK, we care a lot about our Code of Conduct. We want to run an event where everybody is shown respect, courtesy, and kindness – and the Code of Conduct is a reminder for us all to do that.
A Code of Conduct is only useful if it’s followed and enforced. To show that we take it seriously, we’ve prepared a list of Code of Conduct reports we received during the event, and how we responded. These reports are all anonymised.
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At the lightning talks on Saturday, a speaker was booed by the audience because they mentioned being a .NET developer.
This is not the sort of behaviour we want at PyCon UK, even in jest – we all attend the conference to celebrate Python, and we can do that without making fun of other languages or its users.
This was addressed immediately after the talk by the session chair. We couldn’t identify the people who were booing, but we hope they heard the chair’s message and know this isn’t how we want to create a welcoming environment.
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Some slides were posted in the conference Slack that included inappropriate language. This was flagged by another attendee, and the poster was asked to remove them, which they did.
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At the lightning talks on Monday, the chair was heckled.
Many of our speakers (especially at lightning talks) are speaking at a conference for the first time, and we want to support them on stage. Heckling, even as a friendly joke not even directed at themselves, can affect their confidence, and creates an unpleasant experience.
An organiser discussed it with the heckler the following day.
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During a busy lunch session, one of the attendees shouted aggressively at an organiser about the presence of a sponsor they objected to. They were warned about their behaviour, both by the organiser and by another attendee, and eventually desisted. No further action was deemed necessary.
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This year, the lightning talk selection process (deliberately) drew more speakers than the time allowed, to ensure we'd fill the hour.
One speaker whose talk was drawn, but later cut for time, shouted in anger at the lightning talk chair. They apologised later and without prompting.
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During the conference, we had signs in all the venue toilets repeating our toilet policy (everybody should be left to use the toilets in peace and privacy).
These signs had to be replaced three times. We don't know how they were removed, or who by – in any case, it doesn't affect our commitment to the policy.
If you’re aware of a Code of Conduct concern that isn’t listed here, please report it to us via email at coc@uk.python.org.