Sexual harassment to men at cons.

Not written by me.

Okay, I can speak on this particular subject with some genuine authority. I am a member of a group that consults for/organizes/performs as event security as a number of anime and SF/Fantasy conventions in the US. I have seen both sides of this discussion. I have seen a lot of the harassment that goes on which victimizes both males and females and I have seen both males and females indulging in the harassment.

We normally only hear the stories where the females are subjected to harassment by males. I can tell you those all day. What people never talk about are the ones where the males are the targets or the females are the perpetrators; until now. I can't give names for obvious reasons, but I can give conventions and years. Here are a few choice situations that I have had to deal with.

One generally disturbing thing are the "flash yaoi mobs" of fan girls. At Anime Central 2005 (Rosemont (Chicago), IL), we had to escort two guys cosplaying Squall and Seifer (from FF VIII) to their rooms for their protection after such an episode. The guys were posing for a random photo shoot when this group of about 25 girls came up to them and began the incessant chanting. Until you see a group of fan girls screeching "KISS! KISS!" at two guys at the top of their lungs and either screeching "SQUEEEE" orgasmically if they do or howling like banshees in anger if they don't; you don't know the meaning of terror. The two guys who were not gay refused to kiss and then the girls started throwing things at them. It got real ugly real quick.

That same year at the same convention, we found a couple having sex in the Soap Bubble (the convention's major dance)...not exactly a rare occurrence but the catch was that the guy had been roofied, sat in a chair and the girl was riding him for all she was worth. He was totally unresponsive and when we brought this up to the girl she said; "...he was hard; he wanted it." I suggested to the guy that he charge the girl with rape. The girl threatened to sue claiming defamation of character. The guy got a bus-ride to the hospital and Rosemont Police refused to charge the girl.

OhayoCon (Columbus, OH) 2011; A couple was brought into con security for "inappropriate displays of affection in a no-access area." They were making out pretty hot and heavy in one of the hotel/convention center's back corridors. So, when we decided to get their information, we found out that much to the guy's (24) horror; the girl was quite underage (14). The girl admitted lying about her age to the guy and she even had a fake ID. So, we let them both go, but confiscated the girl's ID. This happens far more often than anyone would like to admit. These girls know what they are doing and don't care. The girl in that particular case did not look her age at all and then added to that the fact that she was cosplaying in the "Gothic Lolita" style and you just can't tell more times than not unless you know what to look for.

Anime Milwaukee (WI) 2013; The Saturday evening of the con, two guys and two girls were brought into the convention security office. The report came over the radio that one of the girls was the victim of having an "upskirt" pic taken of her without her permission. The two girls were both dressed in pretty revealing clothing and the guys were dressed in normal clothing. So folks were pretty ready to read the two guys the riot act when one of the girls points at the other girl and screamed; "SHE SNUCK AND TOOK A UPSKIRT PIC OF ME!!!" So, when we looked at the other girl she shrugged and responded; "Well, I like fine asses, so when I saw her's I decided that I wanted a pic of it...."

But that isn't the end of the story; as it turned out, the assailant did sneak and take an upskirt picture of the victim. But then the victim allowed her to take a second shot of her bottom. The "assailant" had two pictures of the girl's ass on her camera. The first pic was slightly blurred as if she was trying to snap the picture on the sly. But the second picture was crystal clear and in fact, you could tell that the girl had posed in such a way to make sure that the photographer got all that she wanted in the picture. We discovered that she only protested after her boyfriend saw what was going on. Yes...the two men were the significant others of the respective girls. Needless to say, the "victim's" boyfriend was pretty pissed when the truth was revealed.

You know, one should be able to expect women to know better than this, if one were to base one's expectations on feminist assertions about harassment and sexual violence.

After all, if being harassed and subjected to sexual violence is the common female experience that feminists claim it to be, then should women and girls not be so sensitized by that as to automatically understand that doing it to someone else would be hurtful, intimidating, and embarrassing?

The double standard in attitude which many women have toward this type of behavior ("You can't touch me, but I can touch you.") really highlights the hypocrisy inherent to the feminist treatment of harassing behavior, and their treatment of behavior they don't like as if it were also harassing behavior (OMG! Stop looking at me!). Men are socially expected to be aware of and sensitive to women's objections. Women should face the same expectations... but instead, men are also so socially expected to put up with this shit that seeing a guy open up and discuss the problem this openly is rare.

Written by me.

And i had a friend that almost got raped at a con and i saw a guy beating his girlfriend, the crazy world we live.

I really need to go to comic con.

The second instance was clearly rape and those officers should be fired.

Comic cons are fun. I've never been to San Diego's, but I've been to others. They're crowded and occasionally reek of BO and vomit, but they're still fun.

@ryagan: They never host them near where I live unfortunately.

that the guy had been roofied, sat in a chair and the girl was riding him for all she was worth. He was totally unresponsive and when we brought this up to the girl she said; "...he was hard; he wanted it."

Comic-Con here I come!!!!

Interesting

This sounds exciting.

that second example is messed up. Someone should also check out that town's police force if they wouldn't charge that girl with rape.

Dude. Let's go to comic con!!!

Luke's Conscious: Luke You're Married.

Luke: ****

@laflux: I'll bet the girls are unattractive as hell

To your Girlfriend maybe, but not all of us are playing at such a high level!!!!

We're not dating yet, but I'm getting there!

@comicstooge: I'm in those early stages too :P

We'll get there, homie

As someone who frequents both comic and anime conventions, I can say that these aren't very rare occurrences at all(except maybe the roofied rape thing..that's just messed up). Both women and men have to deal with sexual harassment based on their costumes, and from what I've experienced women are more "open" about it while guys are less conspicuous. It pisses me off when it happens to either gender, but people do need to realize women can be just as guilty of this as men and situations like the one's in the OP should be treated with just as much scrutiny.

I have never been to an American Con. The ones in Ireland have been fine.

Comic con is my new vagas, only without the booze, bankruptcy, cocain and prostitutes.

But the complimentary sex sounds like a good bargain.

Sounds like a party

I personally haven't seen anything at a Con I've attended. It's interesting that three Anime conventions are named though and no comic cons.

The girls who did that are probably pretty ugly.

Unfortunately, when a man is sexually harassed it's either treated like a joke or he's called an idiot or gay. Double standards go both ways. (No pun intended)

Damn Anime communtiy, YOU SCARY!

@juiceboks: That roofir rape sounds like something out of Bible Black.

These are anime conventions.

Ugh. Why is it almost every time I see a post about male or female sexual abuse and harassment, there's an agenda of some sort attached to it? Like I wish sometimes that just once we could discuss these things without using it as an opportunity to hate on the opposite gender.

A guy does this to a girl, and you just know a lot of the comments are gonna be about how objectified and victimised we are being, and how toxic men are. Oh men are awful! Oh it's so hard being a girl! A girl does this to a guy, and people can't wait to preach about double standards and feminazis. Being a man is terrible, we get treated like we're all animals but when women hurt us, it's okay!

What would be great is if we could all address this together as a human issue. People are sh!tty toward other people sometimes, and most of us can agree that is wrong and the ones who do it are to some extent messed up in the head. This kind of thing is abhorrent no matter who the perpetrator, and each incident is a reflection on the person who did it and only them.

Also as a side note, I can assure you guys being attractive doesn't necessarily have anything to do with your likelihood of being a perp or a victim. Sexual assault runs a lot deeper than that.

at a fan-expo I went to there were lots of girls wearing just body paint, there's no need to try and get sneaky pics either, they were posing and wanted guys to snap a pic

not harassment, but there wasn't really any need for harassment as there were people that really just wanted that attention

Lmao. My exact thought.

There sure are weirdos there. I still want to go to one, at least once.

And here i was with the fear it would became a flame war or it would be taken seriously.

Vagas? Cocain? You are in something arent you?

That its the only fun i could get in Vegas.

Posts like this should be acknowledged.

Yes but No.

aaaa the double standards of society never ceases to amaze me.

The double standards is real...

Lol, I seem to constantly get a notification for somebody else quoting Noone.

Comment of the month methinks!

Jmarshmallow

I attended my first con ever, Comikaze, for my birthday and for the most part everyone was nice and respectful. There were signs about how cos is not consent, everywhere. Even so, I saw some dudes trying to cop feels while having their pics taken with female cosplayers...