Rosemary for Remembrance

 WisCon has disgraced itself.

Inciting event (from memory) at 2013 WisCon:

• Two women, Lauren Jankowski and Elise Matthesen, report, independently, being harassed by Tor editor James Frenkel.   Elise Matthesen, has witnesses.  (I forget whether Jankowski does.)
• Both report the harassment to the ConCom.
• An online uproar ensues; eventually James Frenkel is fired by Tor.

Report from 2014 WisCon  by Natalie Luhrs (do read it, as well as Lauren Jankowski's Tumblr post):

1. Jankowski shows up at WisCon to find Frenkel as an official volunteer.
2. Frenkel spends the con explaining to people that he's there to prove he's "really a nice guy".
3. Jankowski complains to security.  She is told that (A) her report from 2013 has been lost and (B) Elise Matthesen asked that no further action be taken on her 2013 report.
4. Online anger at Frenkel's presence; WisCon ConCom promises to report back to attendees after everybody's been home and they can think it over.
5. Jankowski posts angrily on Tumblr.
6. Matthesen contacts Jankowski and says, no, she certainly did not withdraw her report.  Jankowski apologizes.
7. Luhrs posts angrily on her blog, Radish Reports.
8. WisCon issues an official statement full of waffle and minimizations.  "We could talk about how these reports fell through the cracks, and why we are dissatisfied with penalties in situations where penalties were imposed..."  Yes.  That would be a very good idea.  And it turns out that WisCon's official preparation for sexual harassment at this year's con was "Changes prior to the recently concluded Wiscon 38 included establishing a member advocate position as an ongoing liaison for the reporters, making the safety chair a year-round function to avoid losing track of reports which arrive just after a con during the transition to new chairs and a new committee, and setting up a standing harassment policy subcommittee to improve both our published policies and our internal procedures"  We note that in fact a report was lost track of, and that the subcommittee's and member advocate's positions don't seem to have materially affected what happened at WisCon 38.

So.  The "feminist" (sneer quotes intentional) convention WisCon not only "lost" reports of harassment but lied to one harassee about another attendee's attested complaint.

Fuck this shit.