Are you lucky enough to be at New York Comic Con right now? I'm not, but I'm still jealously monitoring all developments from afar. One thing that's new: ReedPOP has embraced the winds of change and has put up "Cosplay is not Consent" posters everywhere. The design is visually arresting (nice job, Amy Reeder) and the wording is clear.
"Please keep your hands to yourself. If you would like to take a picture with or of another NYCC fan, always ask first and respect that person's right to say no. When at NYCC, be respectful, be nice, be cool and be kind to each other."
I've seen people get twitchy about the "asking" part - so let's be realistic here. If you see a cosplayer posing for a group of cameras, and you join them, most often that's not going to be an issue. I've never had anyone say no to me (and I always ask if I can put pictures on this blog - no one ever objects to that either.) I think the subtext here is for those creepers who enjoy filming women's asses and cleavage.
And yes, some will do it anyway, just like some people will continue to make boorish and insensitive comments in a number of areas - disability, race, nationality and so on. The anti-harassment policy covers all of those. (Which incidentally was developed in tandem with the great minds at The Mary Sue.) The point is that the visual reminders do stop some bad behavior, and set the stage for punitive action for those people who ruin other people's Con experience.
We'll see if SDCC remains a hold-out for 2015.
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