The Center for New Liberalism Code of Conduct

Introduction

The Center for New Liberalism strives to build inclusive, open communities that work towards an inclusive, open society. To that end, CNL has developed this Code of Conduct to govern the conduct of CNL and its membership in all our arenas: social media, online spaces, in-person meetups and chapter meetings, and any other space in which CNL functions. 

Generally speaking, the Code is to treat others with respect. Be mindful that CNL is a growing organization with members joining us from all over the globe. While CNL started small and our spaces were often ones in which we all knew each other individually, we note that our inside jokes, quips, and more casual takes might not make sense to the new members joining us. 

This document is not meant to be exhaustive, and there may be individual incidents which occur where the particulars of the situation are not specifically detailed in these rules. In those cases the guiding principle of “treat others with respect” along with precedent set by the below rules, our community norms, culture, and Code of Conduct will inform our response.

In cases where you feel the code of conduct has not been observed, please contact hello@cnliberalism.org. 

Rules of Conduct

Harassment

Harassment of any kind is strictly prohibited. This includes but is not limited to physical harassment, sexual harassment, verbal harassment, bullying, stalking, harassment based on characteristics such as race, gender, etc, or any other form of harassment. Discussion of an individual's personal appearance specific to their gender (for example women being generalized as sexual discussion) is not appropriate and will be considered harassment. The Center for New Liberalism strives to maintain a harassment-free space across all our platforms both in person and online, and we maintain a zero-tolerance policy on harassment.

Bigotry

Likewise, bigotry of any kind is strictly prohibited. This includes but is not limited to sexism, racism, homophobia, transphobia, any form of religious bigotry, ableism, ageism, or any other kind of bigotry. The Center for New Liberalism does not require all members to share the same views, but we do require members to treat one another with respect in all situations, and we have a zero-tolerance policy for any kind of bigoted behavior. Examples of prohibited behaviors include but are not limited to: the use of slurs, bigoted generalizations of groups (all X are like Y), discriminatory behaviors, or personal attacks based on the above characteristics.

Civility

The Center for New Liberalism strives to create spaces for civil debate, discourse, and discussion in all our online and offline spaces. To this end, we enforce standards of civil behavior. Members will refrain from name-calling, hostility, trolling, or any other uncivil behavior that derails the quality of discourse. Members are expected to engage others in good faith and to assume good faith in others. Members are expected not to engage in disruptive behavior which disturbs the normal functioning of groups, events, etc. Those who repeatedly exhibit uncivil behavior or who engage others in bad faith may be subject to sanction.

Sensitive Policy and Politics

Often sensitive policy or political issues will pop up in CNL spaces which personally and powerfully impact people’s lives. We ask that when these hot-button topics arise, we reflect before making a comment or post, that we have a purpose for our dialog on this topic, and take into account that not everyone agrees and not everyone can guess as to the sentiment behind a particularly loaded or potentially misconstrued dialog. 

Privacy Policy

Disclosure of personal data [including media, contact information, etc] without a person’s consent within the CNL Slack is strictly prohibited. Disclosure of the personal information or discussions of CNL members from within Slack to external parties or platforms without permission is also prohibited. 

Respect the Actions of the CNL Staff and Moderation Team

CNL staff members or members of the moderation team may enter a thread from time to time and ask that everyone take a break from the thread, or they may close the thread entirely. When a member of the moderation team enters a thread to do this, they do so with the permission and support of the rest of the moderation team, and failure to respect the actions of the moderation team will result in further disciplinary action. 

Breaking the Code of Conduct

If a CNL member breaks the code above, a member of the CNL Moderation team will issue a verbal warning. In the case of egregious behavior, the CNL member can be removed from the CNL space without warning. All dues-paying members of CNL will always have the right to due process.