As participants and attendees of Living Earth, we ask that you hold yourselves and one another responsible for your conduct & look out for each other as friends, neighbors, and community. As an open-access and public arts series, we cannot guarantee a safe space free of sexism, racism, homophobia, or transgression. However, we commit ourselves each and every day towards cultivating a constructive community and we ask that you keep in mind the principles of mutual and collective responsibility.

Living Earth gatherings are organized by a small collective of artists with the support of our larger communities. We see ourselves as facilitators and conduits rather than leaders, and trust the spontaneous action of those who choose to participate in these monthly moments. While we make decisions based on an alignment of principles (including ecological anarchism, anti-authoritarianism, and anti-oppression), we cannot anticipate or take responsibility for everything that occurs during our gatherings. We hope that conflict, when it arises, will provide an opportunity for discussion and growth.

Being said, we have zero tolerance for racism, misogyny, queer/transphobia, and ableism. As people who care deeply about this work, we support autonomous action to raise consciousness and co-create a better world; thus we invite all participants to directly address concerning behaviors that may occur, while striving not to treat others as disposable. Our gatherings are an opportunity for meeting one another and learning, not for pursuing ongoing conflicts.

If an individual is known to have engaged in oppressive behavior, then it is up to the people who know them to put accountability processes in place. If that has not been done, our gatherings are not the time or place to do so. While we as organizers will not act as police or arbiters of external conflicts, we reserve the right to ask anyone to leave if their actions are harmful to the gathering or other participants. If you experience harassment, abuse, assault, or other violence during the event and want support from organizers, please feel free to approach us in person or via email.

In compliance with these agreements, intentions, and for participants’ health and safety, the following must be observed: smoking is permitted only in designated smoking areas, please do not burn incense of any kind while sitting within an audience, and we ask that you do not bring alcohol into our gatherings unless it is offered by the space we’ve chosen to gather. Thank you for sharing this time and respect!

This statement is based on the Bay Area Anarchist Bookfair’s Statement of Mutual Responsibility, which was shared with us through Providence, Rhode Island’s Queer & Trans Zine Fest.