Safer Spaces Policy
The Toronto Burlesque Festival is dedicated to providing an inclusive environment in which all participants of our events feel comfortable and free from harassment*.
We promote and celebrate a diverse and inclusive burlesque community. To provide this, the Toronto Burlesque Festival will not tolerate:
 Racism, sexism, classism, ableism, homophobia, transphobia, fatphobia, and all other forms of discrimination
 Physical, verbal, or mental abuse
 Bullying
 Sexual harassment, inappropriate or unwelcome comments and behaviours
 Disruptive or disrespectful behaviour
 Causing a participant or attendee to feel distressed or unsafe
The following guidelines will help ensure a safer space:
 Respect peoples’ physical and emotional boundaries.
 Get enthusiastic consent first. Use coherent verbal communication to express your desires before touching anyone.
 Be responsible for your actions, and aware that they may have an effect on others, regardless of original intent.
If an issue arises with a participant or attendee before the festival, the Toronto Burlesque Festival staff will be available to hear these concerns and find a solution that is in the best interests of the community and the event being a safer space. Should an issue arise with a participant or attendee during the festival, staff will be available to mediate on-site and attempt to find a solution. Staff reserves the right to ask any attendees who are violating the safer space policy to change or address their unsafe behaviour or language, or leave the event if needed, without refund of ticket purchased.
By purchasing a ticket or agreeing to participate in any of the events hosted by The Toronto Burlesque Festival, you agree to conduct yourself in a respectful manner as outlined in this Safer Spaces Policy.
(*Definition of Harassment: Harassment means any conduct that is known, or is reasonably to be known, to cause offence or humiliation. This may include persistent unwanted attention and deliberate infringement of personal space.)

Community Acknowledgements
This policy is a living document which will be reviewed on a regular basis. We welcome input from our community members.
We would like to acknowledge and thank Champagne Sparkles and the Isle of Tease Burlesque Festival, for granting permission for us to borrow some sections of their policy as we take the steps to create our own. We would also like to thank the Vancouver International Burlesque Festival, as the consultants for Isle of Tease, and the Edmonton Burlesque Festival for sharing their knowledge with us. 

​The Toronto Burlesque Festival acknowledges that we operate and create our art on the traditional territories of the Anishnaabe, Haudenosaunee, Wendat and Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation. We recognize that Toronto, “the meeting place,” continues to be home to many Indigenous nations and we are grateful to these past, present and future caretakers of this land for their stewardship. The Toronto Burlesque Festival is committed to reflecting on our actions and values to create a culture of sharing and inclusion. We support the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada: Calls to Action and the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People.