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Code of Conduct

Last updated on Dec 30, 2023

This page is current for FC2024.

General Information

Further Confusion (“FurCon®”) is an event organized and hosted by Anthropomorphic Arts and Education, Inc. (“AAE”), a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization.

The goal of Further Confusion is to enable our attendees to have the best time possible. While our attendee demographic generally consists of adults, FurCon is an all-ages event.

Further Confusion strives to maintain professionalism at all times.

Be Considerate

We hope that each attendee enjoys the fun that our wide-ranging community can provide. Please consider how your actions reflect on the convention and how they may impact or affect others. We take pride in our appearance and we want you to as well, while still having fun. To this effect, if the convention becomes aware of any of our attendees engaging in illegal activities, we will be forced to inform the proper authorities. What you consider to be acceptable behavior may not be so for others. Consideration of others is the hallmark of a mature individual and a healthy fandom, and we encourage that courtesy from all participants in our community.

Intentional or malicious interference with convention-owned equipment, phones or other devices belonging to others, or any wireless communication systems is strictly forbidden. Engaging in such activities may result in immediate removal from the event and the termination of membership.

Safety

Matters of safety for convention attendees and volunteers are generally handled by the FC Exec Team and FLARE. The FC Exec Team can be contacted through Convention Operations or by asking any convention volunteer. The FC Exec Team may ask you to stop an activity or to move it to a private room. Repeat offenders may be required to leave the convention premises in accordance with the Termination and Revocation section of this document. For your safety, we ask that all attendees promptly comply with requests made by the FC Exec Team or FLARE. If you feel that the request has not been fair or should be reconsidered for some reason, you may bring this up at a later time with the convention chair or vice-chair but please comply at the moment.

Weapons

No firearms of any type are allowed in the convention center or any of the hotels. Magnetometers, wands, and other checks including weapon sniffing canine units may be employed at any time by Convention Center security personnel to ensure compliance with this policy.

Weapons in general of any type, functioning or non-functioning (see below for prop exception), or any item that can be easily mistaken for one may NOT be carried either openly or concealed at any time in convention space or any of our hotels. City of San Jose restricts permitted possession (page 7) in all city-operated facilities. Exceptions may be made only for on-duty, duly appointed law enforcement officers by prior arrangement with convention management.

In addition, nerf guns, water guns, silly string, lasers, or any item that produces a projectile of any kind will not be permitted in convention space or any of our hotels.

Prop Weapons: Functioning weapons of any type will absolutely not be tolerated at any time. However, non-functioning prop weapon replicas are permitted as part of a costume only during costume events such as the Fursuit Parade, and only at the discretion of event staff, and must be appropriately peace-bonded; visit FLARE at the Marriott, second-floor Boardroom for instruction on how to do so. Prop weapons must be cased or otherwise secured while being carried outside costume events and generally kept out of sight. Event staff will have the final say regarding what is inappropriate regarding prop weapons.

Ranged weapons, like bows and arrows, or slingshots, are strictly prohibited from all convention and hotel spaces. Sharp-edged weapons are strictly prohibited from all convention and hotel spaces as well, as are dull, or blunt-faced weapons.

In short, if it looks like a weapon and could be easily mistaken as a weapon of any kind, we don’t want it in the convention area.

Costumes, Clothing, Behavior, and Safety

Show off your costume work! Costumes of all designs and materials are welcome, provided that they are displayed in a manner appropriate for all ages. We ask that you keep attire reasonably inoffensive. As a rule, no “anatomically correct” costume may be shown in public areas. Collars, leashes, and sled-dog like harnesses may be worn either with costumes or discreetly with your normal street clothing; overt and blatant displays of bondage/BDSM may result in you being asked to leave public convention space.

Additionally, the following are items not permitted at Further Confusion:

  • Attire that is genuine or gives the appearance of military or law enforcement attire, with the exception of active, retired, or honorably separated veterans who may wear their duty or dress uniforms.
  • Any attire that reveals genitalia outside of designated 18+ events and within the restrictions of that event’s rules.
  • Patches, symbols, insignia, etc. associated with Hate groups (such as armbands, flags, swastikas, fursuits incorporating these elements in whole or in part)
  • Any culturally insensitive attire, art, or props, including but not limited to those that depict racial stereotypes.
  • Leashes ARE permitted as long as it does not present a tripping or other safety hazard to the wearer or anyone else.
  • Leashes may ONLY be held by the wearer.

Hate Speech

Hate speech, and attire and imagery commonly used in conjunction with hate speech, are not welcome at Further Confusion.

Disputes

In case of any dispute, FC Executive Staff has final say over what constitutes appropriate attire and behavior in convention space and events. If you have any questions or need help understanding these guidelines, please email info@furtherconfusion.org.

Additionally, wearing a costume or fursuit does not grant anyone else license to make inappropriate or suggestive comments or gestures. Further Confusion is proud to play host to a wide variety of costuming, including but not limited to: mascot-style fursuits, video game and pop culture cosplay, fantasy/sci-fi genre cosplay, etc., and we wish to provide a positive and safe environment for costumers to enjoy.

If you are being harassed, we strongly encourage you to immediately contact the FC Exec Team through a nearby convention volunteer.

Public Displays of Affection

Use common sense in public areas. If you have to ask or think twice about doing it in public, take it to a private area. For example, kissing and holding hands, regardless of sexual orientation, are fine. Groping, tongue battles, and nudity, regardless of sexual orientation, are not.

Harassment and Assault

“No” means no. “Stop” means stop. “Go away” means go away. If someone won’t understand these simple rules, please contact convention operations.

Harassment is any behavior that intentionally annoys or alarms another person. Unintentional or misinterpreted behaviors may also cause feelings of harassment. This includes unwanted contact, following someone in a public area without a legitimate reason, or threatening physical violence. Offenders may lose their badges and the matter may be referred to the proper law enforcement authorities.

If you are being harassed, we strongly encourage you to immediately contact the FC Exec Team through a nearby convention volunteer.

Buying and Selling

Further Confusion has a dealer’s room where merchandise and services are sold. Anyone who receives payment for goods or services (such as body painting, massage, etc.) in convention space must comply with all legal rules. Vendors must ensure they have proper Sales Tax IDs for their state AND California. (See Seller Permit rules) If anyone wishes to request payment for goods or services and to donate the proceeds to the convention charity, Further Confusion must be informed of this ahead of time to allow for the convention to organize the correct tax reporting. Further Confusion takes its legal obligations very seriously in this area. Any solicitation for payment at the convention that does not comply with these obligations may result in immediate revocation of the offender’s badge in accordance with the Termination and Revocation section of this document and being required to return all payments.

Photography and Video

Further Confusion wants you to have great memories from a fantastic convention. Screenshots and videos by attendees are generally allowed in all common areas of the convention. Specific rules regarding these matters may exist for selected events. Please consult the program guide at the convention for information relating to specific events.

When recording individuals or costumes, please use common courtesy and ask before recording them. Please respect their rights if they do not wish to be recorded. If someone asks or otherwise indicates (remember, many folks in costume do not speak) that they do not wish to be recorded, do not photograph them!

Photography or videography for the purpose of sale or publication to the press is expressly forbidden unless written permission has been obtained from AAE, Inc. in accordance with its press policy. Individuals may take pictures and videotapes for private viewing or sharing with friends. We ask our attendees to be courteous to those they wish to take pictures of, especially if you wish to place those pictures or video clips onto any internet archive. In this case, please ask your subjects for their explicit permission to do this.

Attendees should be aware that footage gathered by volunteers in public areas of the convention, including events and panels, may be used in a highlights reel and that attendees may appear in the video without compensation. Consult the pocket program for specific video, audio, and photography restrictions for specific events. Further Confusion will require a release only for footage that is obtained in areas that are not fully public (i.e., private functions and personal interviews). These rules apply to all attendees (dealers, guests, or any level of membership). All members of the press and volunteers will conform to Further Confusion’s press policy , so we encourage attendees to become familiar with those rules as well.

Online Behavior

When it comes to online behavior, only do things that you wouldn’t mind seeing described on the front page of your hometown newspaper.

Using a duplicate account to bypass rate limits, signal requirements, or any other limitation or enforcement placed upon another account is not allowed.

Any unauthorized attempts to socially engineer another party through impersonation of a Further Confusion staffer or another furry will not be tolerated.

Membership and Attendance

Though we work to ensure that all interested individuals may join us, FurCon reserves the right to deny or revoke memberships for any reason including but not limited to safety concerns and Code of Conduct violations.

AAE and FurCon do not permit membership or attendance by any individual who is a convicted sex offender or who appears on any federal or state sex offender registry. In addition, AAE and FurCon reserve the right, at the board’s discretion, to deny membership or attendance to anyone with a documented history of sexual violence, including inappropriate conduct towards minors.

By applying for membership in AAE, or otherwise registering for or attending Further Confusion, you attest that you meet all eligibility criteria outlined in this document. Memberships or attendance revoked or terminated as a result of Code of Conduct violations, illegal activities, ineligibility, or breach of contract with AAE / FurCon are not eligible for refund, except at the board’s discretion. AAE / FurCon may, but have no obligation to, investigate the background of any member or attendee, or follow-up on any credible reports of behavior that may impact their eligibility to attend.

Termination and Revocation

In the rare case that a membership needs to be revoked prior to the event dates, we will attempt to provide notification via the individual’s registered email address. If a membership is revoked during the event, the individual will be notified in-person and be required to return their attendance badge.

Only the convention chair or board of directors are authorized to revoke or terminate memberships and attendance prior to the event date. During the event, the convention chair, executive on duty, and the FC Exec Team are authorized to revoke or terminate memberships. Additional individuals may be granted authority to revoke or terminate memberships and attendance at the discretion of the chair or board of directors.

Revocation during the event may be reviewed by visiting Convention Operations and requesting to speak to the executive on duty. Outside of the event, revocation may be reviewed by contacting the board of directors at board@anthroarts.org.

If You Need Assistance

During operating hours, Further Confusion’s Convention Operations (ConOps) center will help get you connected to the assistance that you need. All staff members will have information on how to contact ConOps. Remember, we cannot address a problem unless we know about it. For less urgent matters, messages may be left with ConOps to be forwarded to volunteers. As with all messages left with ConOps, please remember to give details of how, when, and where the recipient can contact you.

Further Confusion has a large volunteer staff to handle most aspects of the running of the convention. This allows the Chair and Vice Chair to remain available to talk about any comments or concerns that our attendees bring to them. If you see them around the corridors, feel free to speak to them, even if they appear harried, ensuring our attendees have a good time is one of their primary roles! If you need to contact the convention Chair or Vice-Chair at any other time, you can do this by leaving a message for them at ConOps or email Chair@furtherconfusion.org.

Policies Subject to Change

Further Confusion’s code of conduct is subject to change at any time. We will make a best effort to notify attendees when changes are made. The most current version of the Code of Conduct may always be viewed at http://furtherconfusion.org/policies/conduct.

Further Questions or Comments?

If you have questions or comments regarding Further Confusion policies, please email info@furtherconfusion.org.