_posts/2015-08-13-harrassing-needs-to-stop.md
---
title: "‘We Still Let Harassers Participate In Our Community’"
date: 2015-08-13 11:52:50 -05:00
layout: post
custom_type: link
link_url: http://kovalc.in/2015/08/12/harassers.html
excerpt: We have a problem. A really big problem. If reporting someone does nothing,
if organizers are not fit to deal with these tough situations, and if no one is
warning others of those who endanger our community
---
Katie Kovalcin:
> We have a problem. A really big problem. If reporting someone does nothing, if organizers are not fit to deal with these tough situations, and if no one is warning others of those who endanger our community—we’re going to keep losing a lot of really great diverse voices.
>
> I pulled out of that conference. That event has lost a woman speaker while simultaneously promoting a dangerous one.
I’m grateful to Katie for sharing her story, which unfortunately sounds so familiar to many more. There needs to be drastic change in our industry, and it’s a good idea to think about how we can be part of the solution.
You *need* to read this.