I've noticed that in a lot of community discussion, matters of safety are
getting confused for and mixed together with issues which I would call
Community Norms.
Empowering folks to decline things (or people) which make them
uncomfortable is a matter of Safety. Maia brings up some awesome points
This is a really interesting question! I've also certainly worried about
this tension, especially in re: people's right to decline any dance. A
friend of mine once described it in a nifty way: "you can always decline a
dance" is consent 101. It's the basic lesson, and you really want folks
(esp.
In discussions among dance callers and organizers, online and off, a variety of
topics come up from time to time that might be grouped under the heading of
empowering people (especially new dancers) to say "No". Some examples:
* Assuring new dancers that it's ok to decline an invitation
