Made revisions emphasizing intent on professionalism, shoring up of language on harrassment

README.md

@@ -2,109 +2,133 @@
 
 ## Overview
 
-NewHaven.io is dedicated to growing the tech community in the greater New Haven area, to enriching it, and making it a more worthwhile place. To that end, we are dedicated to providing a safe, inclusive, and open environment in which all people are welcome to share their ideas, thoughts, and experiences with each other in the tech community. 
+NewHaven.io is dedicated to growing the tech community in the greater New Haven area, enriching it, and making it a more worthwhile place. To that end, we are dedicated to providing a safe, inclusive, and open environment in which all people are welcome to share their ideas, thoughts, and experiences in an informal professional tech community.
 
-In that vein, we want to provide a harassment-free experience for everyone, regardless of gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, disability, physical appearance, body size, race, age, religion, or non-religion. We do not tolerate harassment of participants in any form. Harassment includes (but is not limited to) offensive comments & communication related to age, gender, sexual orientation, disability, physical appearance, body size, race, religion, sexual images, deliberate intimidation, stalking, sustained disruption of discussions or other events, and unwelcome sexual attention. If a participant engages in behavior that violates this code of conduct, the organizers may take any action they deem appropriate, including warning the offender or expulsion from the group.
+## Conduct
 
-NewHaven.io prioritizes marginalized people's safety over privileged people's comfort.
+### Expected Behavior
 
-This code of conduct applies to all spaces physical and virtual managed by NewHaven.io. This includes Slack, Meetup events, conferences we are involved with, and any other forums created by the IO members which the community uses for communication. In addition, violations of this code outside these spaces may affect a person's ability to participate within them.
-
-If you believe someone is violating the code of conduct, we ask that you please report it to a board member. For more details please see our Reporting Guidelines.
-
-This isn’t an exhaustive list of things that you can’t do. Rather, take it in the spirit in which it’s intended - a guide to make it easier to enrich all of us and the various communities in which we participate.
-
-## Open Source Citizenship
-
-A supplemental goal of this Code of Conduct is to increase open source citizenship by encouraging participants to recognize and strengthen the relationships between our actions and their effects on our community.
-
-Communities mirror the societies in which they exist and positive action is essential to counteract the many forms of inequality and abuses of power that exist in society.
-
-If you see someone who is making an extra effort to ensure our community is welcoming, friendly, and encourages all participants to contribute to the fullest extent, we want to know.
-
-## Expected Behavior
-
-In order to promote the overall health and longevity of the community we expect that all members participate in an active, authentic, and productive way. This includes, but is not limited to:
+To promote the overall health and longevity of the community we expect that all members participate in an active, authentic, and productive way. This includes, but is not limited to:
 
 * Exercise consideration and respect in your speech and actions.
-* Keep it safe for work in all Public Channels.
+* All messages must be safe for work and suitable for a professional work environment.
 * Attempt collaboration before conflict.
 * Refrain from demeaning, discriminatory, or harassing behavior and speech.
-* Be mindful of your surroundings and of your fellow participants. Alert community leaders if you notice a dangerous situation, someone in distress, or violations of this Code of Conduct, even if they seem inconsequential.
+* Be mindful of your surroundings and your fellow participants. Alert community leaders if you notice a dangerous situation, someone in distress, or violations of this Code of Conduct, even if they seem inconsequential.
 * Remember that community event venues may be shared with members of the public; please be respectful to all patrons of these locations.
 
-## Unacceptable Behavior
+### Unacceptable Behavior
 
 The following behaviors are considered unacceptable within our community, although this should not read as an exhaustive list:
 
 * Violence, threats of violence, or violent language directed against another person.
 * Sexist, racist, homophobic, transphobic, ableist, or otherwise discriminatory jokes and language.
 * Posting or displaying sexually explicit or violent material.
-* Posting or threatening to post other people’s personally identifying information ("doxing").
+* Posting or threatening to post other people's personally identifying information ("doxing").
 * Personal insults, particularly those related to gender, sexual orientation, race, age, religion/nonreligion, or disability.
 * Inappropriate photography or recording.
 * Harassment that includes sexual harassment of any kind.
-* Deliberate intimidation, stalking or following (online or in person).
+* Deliberate intimidation, stalking, or following (online or in person).
 * Advocating for, or encouraging, any of the above behavior.
 * Sustained disruption of on-topic community discussions.
 * 'Headhunting'/targeting/cold calling members in an unsolicited way as a means to avoid channel-based community discussion.
 
-## Consequences of Unacceptable Behavior
+### Harassment
+
+We want to provide a harassment-free experience, informed by historical biases. Innate and irrelevant characteristics and traits irrelevant to the stated focus of NewHaven.io are protected expressions, and monitoring for harassment based on these traits will receive particular scrutiny and deference. These include, but are not limited to:
+
+* Age.
+* Body size.
+* Disability.
+* Gender identity or expression.
+* Physical appearance.
+* Race.
+* Religion or non-religion.
+* Sexual orientation.
+* Physical appearance.
+
+We do not tolerate harassment of participants in any form. Harassment includes, but is not limited to, offensive comments & communication related to:
+
+* Deliberate or unintentional (effective) intimidation.
+* Sexual images.
+* Stalking.
+* Sustained disruption of discussions or other events.
+* Unwelcome sexual attention.
+
+If a participant engages in behavior that violates this code of conduct, the organizers may take any action they deem appropriate, including warning the offender or expulsion from the group. Board members are given wide birth to intervene and disrupt harassment as they see fit. NewHaven.io prioritizes marginalized people's safety over privileged people's comfort.
+
+This code of conduct applies to all spaces, physical and virtual, managed by NewHaven.io. This includes Slack, Discord, Meetup events, conferences we are involved with, and any other forums created by the IO members that the community uses for communication. In addition, violations of this code outside these spaces may affect a person's ability to participate within them.
+
+If you believe someone is violating the code of conduct, we ask that you please report it to a board member. For more details, please see our Reporting Guidelines.
+
+This isn't an exhaustive list of things that you can't do. Rather, take it in the spirit in which it's intended - a guide to make it easier to enrich all of us and the various communities in which we participate.
+
+### Consequences of Unacceptable Behavior
 
 Unacceptable behavior from any community member, including sponsors and those with decision-making authority, will not be tolerated.
 
 Anyone asked to stop unacceptable behavior is expected to comply immediately.
-
 If a community member engages in unacceptable behavior, the community organizers may take any action they deem appropriate, up to and including a temporary ban or permanent expulsion from the community without warning.
 
-## Enforcement Policy
+### Enforcement Policy
 
-If we believe a member is in violation of the Code of Conduct (CoC), we will first speak with them about the violation and see how they can conduct themselves in a way which does not violate the mission of NewHaven.IO.
+If we believe a member violates the Code of Conduct (CoC), we will first speak with them about the violation and see how they can conduct themselves in a way that does not violate the mission of NewHaven.IO.
 
 If they continue to violate the CoC, the organization team will then issue them a warning and some expectations going forward about how they can conduct themselves in a more productive, empathetic way towards other members.
 
-If the member continues to violate the CoC, the organization team will issue a two-week ban from the Slack, along with an email documenting the violation of the CoC and the issues with the member.
+If the member continues to violate the CoC, the organization team will issue a two-week ban from Slack and Discord, along with an email documenting the violation of the CoC and the issues with the member.
 
-Finally, if the member continues to break the CoC, the organization team will issue a permanent ban from the organization, including the Meetup and Slack.
+Finally, if the member continues to break the CoC, the organization team will issue a permanent ban from the organization, including the Meetup, Discord, and Slack.
 
 All enforcement issues and violations will be documented and discussed to the best of the abilities of the organization team.
+Open Source Citizenship
 
-## Reporting Guidelines
+A supplemental goal of this Code of Conduct is to increase open-source citizenship by encouraging participants to recognize and strengthen the relationships between our actions and their effects on our community.
 
-If you are subject to or witness unacceptable behavior, or have any other concerns, please notify a NewHaven.io board member (or email [email protected]) as soon as possible, using whatever medium (Slack, email, in person conversation) you feel most comfortable with.
+Communities mirror the societies in which they exist, and positive action is essential to counteract the many forms of inequality and abuses of power that exist in society.
 
+If you see someone who is making an extra effort to ensure our community is welcoming, friendly and encourages all participants to contribute to the fullest extent, we want to know.
+
+### Special note on Discord Chanel #mental-health
+
+The Discord channel #mental-health receives special consideration to ensure it functions as a safe space for those who need it.  Board members are empowered to act to effect in order to ensure this particular channel works as intended.
+
+## Reporting Guidelines
+
+If you are subject to or witness unacceptable behavior, or have any other concerns, please notify a NewHaven.io board member (or email [email protected]) as soon as possible, using whatever medium (Slack, Discord, email, in-person conversation) you feel most comfortable with.
 
 The board reserves the right not to act on complaints regarding:
-* ‘Reverse'-isms, including but not limited to ‘reverse racism,' ‘reverse sexism,' and ‘cisphobia'.
-* Reasonable communication of boundaries, such as “leave me alone,” “go away,” or “I'm not discussing this with you.”
-* Communicating in a ‘tone' you don't find congenial.
+
+* 'Reverse'-isms, including but not limited to 'reverse racism,' 'reverse sexism,' and 'cisphobia.'
+* Reasonable communication of boundaries, such as "leave me alone," "go away," or "I'm not discussing this with you."
+* Communicating in a 'tone' you don't find congenial.
 * Criticizing racist, sexist, cissexist, or otherwise oppressive behavior or assumptions.
 
-Additionally, if you feel you have been falsely or unfairly accused of violating the Code of Conduct please do not hesitate to reach out to a board member.
+Additionally, if you feel you have been falsely or unfairly accused of violating the Code of Conduct, please do not hesitate to reach out to a board member.
 
 ## Scope
 
-We expect all community participants (contributors, paid or otherwise; sponsors; and other guests) to abide by this Code of Conduct in all community venues–online and in-person–as well as in all one-on-one communications pertaining to community business.
+We expect all community participants (contributors, paid or otherwise; sponsors; and other guests) to abide by this Code of Conduct in all community venues–online and in-person–as well as in all one-on-one communications about community business.
 
 This code of conduct and its related procedures also applies to unacceptable behavior occurring outside the scope of community activities when such behavior has the potential to adversely affect the safety and well-being of community members.
 
 ## Contact info
 
-Feel free to contact any of the NewHaven.io board members at any time. You'll likely get a faster response on Slack than by email.
+Feel free to contact any of the NewHaven.io board members at any time. You'll likely get a faster response on Slack or Discord than by email.
 
-Henry Quinn | @henry | [email protected]
-Jenn Nolte | @Jenn Nolte she/her | [email protected]
-Josh Levinson | @jlevnhv | [email protected]
-Steve Voils | @steve | [email protected]
-Tom Reznick | @tom | [email protected]
-Ben Midyette | @ben | [email protected]
+- Henry Quinn | @henry | [email protected]
+- Jenn Nolte | @Jenn Nolte she/her | [email protected]
+- Josh Levinson | @jlevnhv | [email protected]
+- Steve Voils | @steve | [email protected]
+- Tom Reznick | @tom | [email protected]
+- Ben Midyette | @ben | [email protected]
 
-Additionally you can email [email protected] with any concerns or questions you may have.
+Additionally, you can email [email protected] with any concerns or questions you may have.
 
 ## License and attribution
 
 This Code of Conduct is distributed under a [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike license](http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/).
 
 Portions of text derived from the [Denver Devs Code of Conduct](https://denverdevs.com/resources/code-of-conduct/) which itself borrowed from the [Django Code of Conduct](https://www.djangoproject.com/conduct/), the [Geek Feminism Anti-Harassment Policy](http://geekfeminism.wikia.com/wiki/Conference_anti-harassment/Policy), and the [Citizen Code of Conduct](http://citizencodeofconduct.org/)
 
-Revision 1.0. Posted 3 December 2019.
+Revision 1.1. Posted 16 May 2024.