Burlesque Community Against Unsafe Spaces
**BCAUS is not affiliated with BurlesqueChicago.com**
That said, we agree with their mission, and support their efforts to make an impact in the safety of the Chicago burlesque scene. Please see below for more information, or to report unsafe situations/ conditions.
BCAUS Code of Conduct Agreement
MISSION STATEMENT: BCAUS exists to protect the burlesque and variety community from abusive behavior, to educate community members about best practices, to provide a variety of support services, and to provide an anonymous reporting system in an effort to provide accountability and eradicate unsafe spaces in the Chicago community. Our goal is to ensure the mental and physical well-being of the community, particularly with respect to physically and verbally abusive behavior.
In order to ensure a safe space for producers, crew, performers, and audience members, the following guidelines are set. Should anyone act in violation of these standards, we encourage witnesses and harmed parties to come forward and report their behavior to BCAUS.
Burlesque is a particularly vulnerable form of art. Burlesque is often sexual and arousing, however sexual performance should not be conflated with consent. At burlesque shows, the following standards are suggested as best practices to create safe performance spaces for performers, audiences, and crews alike.
BCAUS Code of Conduct.
In our current sociological climate, it is not uncommon for the survivors of abuse to experience backlash upon sharing their story. This creates a paralyzing situation for members of the community who experience or witness abusive behavior -- fear of community backlash, and lack of adequate support services have prevented members of the burlesque and variety community from coming forward with reports of misconduct.
BCAUS believes that we must protect each other. We believe that all members of the burlesque and variety community are entitled to safe spaces in which to create and share their art. In order to create those spaces, members of the community must feel empowered to come forward.
The following is a voluntary code for conduct within the burlesque and variety community. This is not a legally binding document. Nothing within this document should be construed as legal advice, and should not be relied upon as such.
Report an unsafe situation.
BCAUS (Burlesque Community Against Unsafe Spaces) advocates for open communication, dialogue and education to maintain the health/encourage the growth of the Chicago burlesque/performance community. In addition, we aim to provide resources to those who have been affected by unsafe behavior within the Chicago burlesque/performance community.
The purpose of this reporting system is (1) to provide a safe, anonymous method to report abuse to the community, (2) to educate members of the community when their actions are negatively impacting others, and (3) to notify the community of abusive behavior in the event of repeated, documented abuse.
BCAUS does not investigate or certify the veracity of any report. We request that incident reports be completed by the people who directly experienced or witnessed the incident, rather than third parties. BCAUS is not a union, it is an action group. As such, the reports we accept are about abusive behavior and not labor disagreements.