Cosplayer Survivor Support Network - CSSN

Friday, 12/12 at 7pm Eastern—it’s official! CSSN will be a part of “Convention Policy Demon Hunters,” a collaborative panel with RoCCET Lab (Carleton University) about what we’ve learned from evaluating convention harassment policies over the years.

CasaCon is FREE! Join here: https://discord.gg/QBtxV8gGmA

An article that presents specific challenges of covert harassment (as opposed to overt) is long overdue. We understand there are specific actions that may seem benign to an outsider, but that a target knows are harassment. Please give it a read.

Covert vs. Overt Harassment Content warning(s): references to stalking, harassment, abuse, sexual assault, violence/murder, strong language, r**e culture.

Time for a big announcement!

For the past 4 years, we've been trying to raise funds through small tips here and there, all in an effort to move toward 501c3 status.

As of about a week ago, CSSN is now a full LLC!

What does this mean? Soon, we'll have a completely new PayPal for donations and possibly even a Tiltify to get our 501c3 funding together. Starting a nonprofit is expensive for our incomes, but we're determined to get there as soon as we can.

Thank you for all your support, big and small, as we work toward making our community a safer, better place! We believe you and you're not alone.

-Trickssi

Hi, all! We recently set up a Twitch channel for our upcoming panel through DigiCon: https://www.twitch.tv/cosplayer_ssn. It will be our first time streaming a panel so feel free to stop by!

We'll be presenting our "Beyond 'Cosplay Is Not Consent'" this Saturday, May 23rd at 7pm EST/4pm PST. We held this panel last year at Fanime as well as at Ohayocon this year before conventions started to be cancelled. If all goes well, we're considering keeping parts of the recorded panel up on our website to better showcase some of the programming we can provide for conventions!

Here are some other links to participate in DigiCon! It's a great alternative if you, like us, are missing being at a convention right now:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/180808873021997/
https://discord.gg/VZGrMN (invite will expire in 1 day)

Hope to see you soon!
Trickssi

Our latest article takes a look at the controversy surrounding the latest (and last) episode of Far Verona, an actual play series on the RollPlay network. The game master chose to spring a scenario involving sexual assault on his players, sparking discussions about safety measures, consent, and abuse of power.

Please note the article does describe the scene in question and may be triggering for individuals who have experienced child sexual abuse or "corrective" r**e.

-Fractali

D&De-Escalation: R**e in Tabletop Games If you're not into role playing games, you probably haven't heard of Far Verona until recently. It's an "actual play" series - an RPG done via livestream or podcast - on the RollPlay network. The game master is Adam Koebel, whose Twitter bio reads "co-author of Award Winning Tabletop RPG Dungeon Wor...

"Tarana Burke's ponytail is fabulous.

I had the distinct pleasure of seeing it in person, on April 30th, from the fourth row, fifth seat, house left. In front of us were VIPs; behind us were students and already-graduated students, some of whom were talking about their own experiences with cultural appropriation and where the lines of disrespect might lie. Beside me, skip an empty seat that he refused to let anyone sit in, was an older white man, presumably a professor, talking about how "harsh" his upcoming review might be. I could feel that he knew this wasn't for him, and he seemed dragged there. He didn't clap the entire time."

Tarana Burke I had the distinct pleasure of seeing it in person, on April 30th, from the fourth row, fifth seat, house left. In front of us were VIPs; behind us were students and already-graduated students, some of whom were talking about their own experiences with cultural appropriation and where the lines of d...

We took a look at the "empirical study" that supposedly debunked the effectiveness of content/trigger warnings.

Spoiler: it did not actually do any such thing.

Trigger Warnings Last year, an study titled "Trigger warning: Empirical evidence ahead" was published in the Journal of Behavior Therapy and Experimental Psychiatry, and it was heralded almost immediately by those who had been decrying trigger warnings as the ridiculous liberal agenda of "special snowflakes." Articl...

Episode 183 - Interview with CSSN Amber and Val speak with Trickssi, Founder/Editor-in-Chief of the Cosplayer Survivor Support Network (CSSN). With more attendees calling on cons to be accoun...

Hey guys, it's Ali; I'm starting work on an article about bullying in fandom due to "problematic" media/characters/shipping, etc, and if you'd like to talk to me about your experiences, I'd love to hear about them.

Have you ever experienced bullying because you were cosplaying a more "villainous" character, as if you had actually done the evil things they did? Have you spoken about your love of a series only to have people hop into your mentions and tell you why you were horrible for supporting it, because characters in it do horrible things? Have you ever been talking about a relationship you find fascinating only to be suddenly attacked for condoning abuse?

Basically, has anyone ever conflated your appreciation for a fictional portrayal with your endorsement of antisocial behaviors contained therein?

If so, and you're up to talking about it, please feel free to message me here, or email me at admin @ cosplayer-ssn.org. If mentioned in the article, you can be either credited or anonymous.

Thanks for all your support!

-Ali

If you're not yet registered, here are deadlines in all the states; if you ARE registered, please check your registration to make sure you haven't been "accidentally" purged.

If you're having trouble getting registered or afraid you won't be able to vote due to ID or other issues, reach out to your friends, family, and followers.

Don't have/can't afford transportation? Check out Uber's Drive the Vote campaign (https://www.uber.com/newsroom/drivethevote/?utm_term=wg9Ts22peTafRB3VirQcV238Ukgw06UV1zf80U0&adg_id=218769&cid=10078&utm_campaign=affiliate-ir-Skimbit%20Ltd._1_-99_national_D_all_ACQ_cpa_en&utm_content=&utm_source=affiliate-ir) and Lyft's The Ride to Vote program (https://blog.lyft.com/posts/2018/8/22/get-out-the-vote)

Struggling to get ID? See if people will give you rides to where you need to go, or pitch in money to help you with your bills if you have to take off work. If you're having trouble getting identifying documents, consider crowdfunding the fees, or reach out to your state representatives. They may be able to help.

Is it sad that in this country, we have to worry about asking for financial assistance to exercise our right to vote? Hell yes. It should be so, so much easier. We shouldn't be dealing with modern Jim Crow designed to suppress already marginalized communities so they can't participate in democracy. But until we can take this country back, please help out anyone you can who expresses to you, "I wish I could vote, but I have [X] problem." Can you give them a ride to a government office to get documents they need? Can you drop some money in their paypal? Can you take them along with you to the polls? Let's help each other out as best we can. Nobody's gonna come save us. We gotta do it ourselves.

https://www.newsweek.com/how-when-register-vote-check-midterm-elections-deadlines-1157789

Here's the midterm voter registration deadlines for all 50 states and how to check if you're registered As of Monday, voters in 48 states and Washington D.C. can still register to vote in the midterm elections, but the deadlines are quickly approaching.