Holy Fire 2026 Conference Policies

Background to Policies

As the Holy Fire Conference takes place in a virtual space, the following policies apply for the duration of the conference to ensure everyone’s comfort and safety. Participants who are found breaching any of these policies will be warned and encouraged to re-read these policies in full. Further violations may result in escalating consequences up to and including being banned from the current and future Holy Fire conferences without a refund. Our policy enforcement process is described below the policies themselves.

Understanding and addressing concerns is a priority for us. To that end:

• All Zoom classes and Discord channels open for attendees will have assigned moderators responsible for ensuring our policies are followed. You can reach out to them if there are issues you would like immediate assistance with.
• You can fill out this online form if you would like to share a concern that does not require immediate action, with the option of anonymous submission. This form will be reviewed by Kavi and Raven.
• You can contact Kavi or Raven if your issue can not be shared with the assigned volunteers (e.g. you have an issue with a volunteer, Kavi personally, or Raven personally, or a volunteer has had a medical emergency), and you need to alert us immediately.
• Class moderators will introduce themselves at the start, Discord moderators will be specified in a pinned message, and all volunteers and staff members will have flairs marking them as such on Discord.

Conference Policies Text

• CONSENT IS MANDATORY: Do not record, screenshot, or capture any of our presenters, participants or staff during this event. This applies to classes on Zoom and all activity on the Discord. Although this rule does not apply to communication participants have if they exchange private contact information like phone numbers, etc., participants should not be publicly advertising communication channels for the purpose of being able to record anything. Anyone suspected of violating this rule will be removed from the class/server and banned from the rest of the conference. No exceptions. The safety of our presenters, staff, and attendees is our first priority.
• Please be kind and tolerant. We will not allow any discrimination in our space based on gender, race, sexuality, ability, or gender expression. This is a racism, sexism, homophobia, transphobia-free zone. Our space includes: the Zoom rooms, the Discord server, and any communication conference attendees have with staff/volunteers in their capacity working on Holy Fire. We reserve the right to take action against people who violate this policy off of these places against other attendees or volunteers from this conference in the time before, during, or after this conference.
• In addition, you will hear numerous spiritual and religious beliefs enumerated during this conference. Please do not start arguments based on differing spiritual beliefs. Respect and appreciate everyone’s views. If you don’t see the universe the way they do, just move on. We understand that these can be tender places for many people, but try to refrain from being reactive. This is an ecumenical conference and we are honoring many differing views.
• Threatening and abusive behavior will not be tolerated. Use courtesy at all times: in all written or verbal comments – respect for beliefs, perspectives, dynamics, sexual orientations, gender expressions, races, kinks, family structure, etc. In addition, community politics and personal differences are to be left at the door. Our policies apply at all times, but note that we as the conference team will only be taking action when we are confident that there has been some kind of policy issue. In particular, this means that reports without associated evidence are welcome, but that the mod team will not be able to act solely on the basis of reports lacking evidence. In particular, although people are encouraged to report things from Discord voice channels, or invite a moderator to join a call, such spaces are inherently harder to monitor.
  • If you let us know about problems you have with anyone, we can keep an eye on any patterns that develop, which would be very helpful to us!
  • And if you are having an issue on Discord which the mods cannot resolve to your satisfaction, you can leave the specific room. The Discord server allows you to see who is present in a voice and text room, and you are encouraged to familiarize yourself with that technology if it would be helpful to you.
• Attendees must be 18 years or older. As you will probably be attending this conference from home, we ask that children not be present during the event.
• Attendees must be pre-registered to participate; only registered attendees can log on and attend. Participants that expect to to attend classes from the same screen must email the conference staff at theholyfireconference@gmail.com after registration to let us know what Zoom screen name will be used showing multiple people, and the emails of the individuals registered for the conference who may appear on that device.
• Registration is valid only for the registered individual; a single registration cannot be used for more than the intended participant. No sharing of Zoom-joining links, joining instructions, registration etc. with others.
• No online nudity, solo, or partnered sex acts. No illegal activities. (Illegality is relevant to your own province, state, or country.)
• We appreciate everyone has something to contribute during classes, but please be considerate of how much time you take to share and stay on topic; this ensures everyone can enjoy and learn from the presenters.All attendees will enter the room muted. Please keep your microphone on mute unless the moderator or presenter asks you to unmute. During the actual class, mute your microphone to minimize distractions and background noise. Note: this is especially important when there are two computers in the same room accessing the same class. If the presenter requests it, please shut down your video as well as a courtesy to those with limited bandwidth.
• Please be on time. Mods will allow attendees into the room during the first 10 minutes of the workshop. After that, the room will be locked and no one else will be admitted. We recommend that if you need to step away that you turn off the camera instead of leaving the room.
• Respect the presenter and room monitor’s instructions and/or directions.

Policy Enforcement

Holy Fire prioritizes having a smooth conference experience for all participants, and our volunteer staff are empowered to make that happen. If a volunteer asks you to do something re: how you engage with the conference, we ask that you comply, and note any issues with the conference staff. Note that simply being asked to do something or complying does not indicate anything wrong has happened; that is the step that needs to be taken so that we can quickly address any potential issues. You can expect the following in that case:

1. Moderators will be present in rooms at all times, and that if a moderator asks an attendee to leave, the attendee needs to comply.
2. Attendees will not be trivially asked to leave, and staff will make an effort to communicate that behavior needs to stop or is inappropriate before kicking someone out of the conference (unless there is a consent violation, e.g. flashing the room).
3. But if someone is asked to leave, this is necessary for the conference staff to feel confident the class can go well. It may be that as we investigate further that we determine the attendee’s conduct was appropriate.
4. Regardless, attendees consent to following staff instructions on these matters as part of attending the conference.
5. If a significant infraction is determined to have occurred, and enforcement action beyond a warning is necessary, the conference reserves the right to alert the conference’s Discord server of actions we have taken to resolve the violation.