I've been in this conference organizer's shoes before.
On one hand, running a conference/convention is difficult enough without being asked to referee personal conflicts. It almost inevitably devolves into a he-said/she-said kind of argument.
But on the other hand, if we take that kind of an attitude, that's essentially a signal for predatory men to go ahead and harass women (or worse). That's pretty much what predatory men have been doing since the beginning of history - acting with impunity since claims of rape or harassment are almost impossible to prove if there are no additional witnesses or physical evidence.
What we've done is to stress proper conduct before the event, and if there are repeat complaints about somebody they're removed from the community permanently.
It's not a perfect process and we've given some "second chances" to people that we've later regretted.
No, that's just the signal "That's beyond my scope", a sign of professionalism. If you try to be hobby cop and judge you will fail. That's a job for the pros.
On one hand, running a conference/convention is difficult enough without being asked to referee personal conflicts. It almost inevitably devolves into a he-said/she-said kind of argument.
But on the other hand, if we take that kind of an attitude, that's essentially a signal for predatory men to go ahead and harass women (or worse). That's pretty much what predatory men have been doing since the beginning of history - acting with impunity since claims of rape or harassment are almost impossible to prove if there are no additional witnesses or physical evidence.
What we've done is to stress proper conduct before the event, and if there are repeat complaints about somebody they're removed from the community permanently.
It's not a perfect process and we've given some "second chances" to people that we've later regretted.