SAN DIEGO ZINE FEST

SAFETY FIRST HANDBOOK

Participants and attendees are asked to be conscious of how their language and behavior impacts others in attendance.

Thank you for helping us respect these terms. 

  • San Diego Zine Fest is a collectively shared space wherein all peoples involved are respected. For this, and a number of other reasons, San Diego Zine Fest will not host zines or people that hope to promote racism, sexism, homophobia, transphobia, and any other form of discrimination.

  • Should an issue arise with a participant, attendee, or fest member/volunteer during the fest, we ask that you speak to an event organizer. During the fest all members/volunteers will be wearing SDZF badges or staff shirts. We ask this of everyone to help us remediate the situation, and or to improve the fest moving forward.

    You may also leave an anonymous message via our website contact form.

    There are a range of solutions should issues arise; please be aware that SDZF organizers will not always make public statements in relation to decisions made regarding such matters. Please understand that any policy related decisions made by organizers happen through serious discussion among fest members, with multiple viewpoints represented. Decisions are not made hastily or lightly. We also believe in respecting the privacy and space of those involved.  

  • Before you apply please know, our core mission is to create a zine-focused platform. We ask exhibitors to maintain an 80/20 balance: at least 80% zines, with a 20% exception for items that "co-zine" with them (like stickers, patches, buttons, or fun freebies). We choose not to spend our weekend policing tables and fully trust our community to respect this policy!

  • All participants and attendees are expected to be in agreement that they are responsible for their own conduct and personal well being during and at the San Diego Zine Fest.

The following will help continue to promote a unified space:

  • Respect: Respect people's physical and emotional boundaries.

  • Permission: Always get explicit verbal consent before touching someone or crossing others personal boundaries. 

  • Ownership: Be responsible for your actions, and aware that they may have an effect on others regardless of your original intent.

  • Support: A safe and respectful community is everyone’s responsibility, therefore we encourage you to speak to us if you see someone who might be in trouble or need assistance.

The following actions will not be tolerated:

  • Sexual harassment, assault, inappropriate or unwelcome comments, touching, and behaviors.

  • Theft of money or property.

  • Physical or verbal abuse.

  • Causing a volunteer, participant, or attendee to feel unsafe.

  • Harassment in any form.

The San Diego Zine Fest reserves the right to remove any individual. 

We would like to thank our zine community from around the country and the world for laying the groundwork and letting us use some of their language to help build policies of our own.

This page was last updated on 07/17/26