Inclusion at XOXO

This policy is a “living” document, and subject to refinement and expansion in the future. Last updated August 30, 2018.

We want XOXO to reflect the creative communities it showcases and celebrates. This policy serves as a list of our current inclusive production practices.

Code Of Conduct

Everyone participating in the XOXO community—including, but not limited to, the XOXO Festival and Slack channel—is required to agree to our Code of Conduct. This includes all attendees, speakers, performers, patrons (sponsors), volunteers, and staff.

Curation

XOXO prioritizes curating a diverse and representative lineup for our conference and festival events. We recognize our responsibility to amplify voices that have been traditionally marginalized both in our community and in our society.

We pay all of our conference speakers and cover travel and accommodation for all speakers and performers.

Where relevant, we provide explicit content warnings for our conference talks and festival performances.

Lottery

Registration for XOXO is offered through a survey and lottery process. A first-come, first-serve system typically favors those with time and money, which ends up benefiting predominantly white men with well-paying jobs and disposable income.

Our survey system allows us to factor diversity into admission, which helps to counteract systemic biases and prioritize access to the festival for underrepresented folx and independent artists.

Subsidized Passes

We offer hundreds of free passes, subsidized by our patrons, prioritizing underrepresented and economically disadvantaged individuals. Our free passes are randomly distributed through our lottery, and you can apply when filling out your survey.

Accessibility

XOXO uses venues which are accessible and ADA compliant. Venues have clearly marked aisles (at least 3.5ft wide), service elevators, ramps, and venue wayfinding that highlights accessible routes. We also provide reserved seating for attendees with mobility issues and/or mobility devices.

Our conference and festival events are all accompanied by real-time captioning. We provide reserved seating for attendees who are deaf or hard of hearing directly in front of the captioning screens.

We provide a complimentary shuttle for our attendees, which is accessible to attendees who use mobility devices.

Service animals are welcome at XOXO.

Health & Safety

A trained medical first-responder will be on site for the duration of XOXO. A first aid kit is also available at our registration desk.

We offer hand sanitizer stations in our restrooms and through our venues. We offer sanitary products and toiletries (including sunscreen, makeup remover, cotton pads, dental floss, and deodorants) in all our restrooms.

Smoking is not permitted in any of our venues.

Families & Childcare

XOXO provides free on-site childcare for the duration of the festival. We work with My Loving Nanny, a Portland-based childcare service who provide experienced, background-checked childcare providers.

Our childcare space includes two private spaces for breastfeeding and pumping.

Children under 12 can attend all our events free of charge, so long as they’re accompanied by a parent or guardian. All of our venues are all-ages.

Identity

XOXO offers gender pronoun pins at registration. We encourage all attendees to wear a pin stating their pronouns.

Where possible, XOXO offers gender neutral restrooms. Where our venues have designated gendered restrooms, we display signage recommending that attendees should use whichever restroom they feel most comfortable with.

Photo Consent

XOXO enforces a photo media consent policy for our attendees, designated by colored lanyards available at registration. A red lanyard designates strictly no photos or video, a yellow lanyard designates that photos and video are allowed with explicit consent, and a black lanyard designates that photos and video are allowed without permission.

Hospitality

XOXO offers a curated menu of non-alcoholic sodas, kombucha, coffee, and tea (including decaf) free of charge throughout the event.

Our bars also serve beer, wine, and cocktails. We ask our attendees to drink responsibly. Alcohol consumption is not an excuse for violating our Code of Conduct.

Our on-site food trucks offer a variety of vegan, vegetarian, gluten-free, and halal options.

We offer designated quiet spaces throughout our venues.

Vendors

XOXO prioritizes working with women and minority-owned businesses and vendors who prioritize diversity and representation in their teams.

Location

XOXO acknowledges that we rest on the traditional lands of the Multnomah, Wasco, Cowlitz, Kathlamet, Clackamas, Bands of Chinook, Tualatin Kalapuya, Molalla, and many other Tribes who made their homes along the Columbia and Willamette rivers.

License

This policy is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International license. We encourage other events to adopt (and enforce) similar policies by using and remixing ours.