By Eirikah

As announced in the newsletter on March 16 and on Discord on March 17, the CSPC’s Board of Directors recently revisited the standing policy at the CSPC to require wearing N95/KN95 or equivalent masks at all times during in-person events except when actively eating, drinking, or engaging in a scene. This reconsideration was sparked by Washington State’s announcement that it was lifting the last remaining masking requirements at medical facilities as of April 3. The Board announced that it would consider a change to the masking policy at its April 12 Board meeting, for implementation on June 1 to allow for thorough messaging of the changes before they would take effect.

The result of the vote by the Board on April 12 was to maintain the existing mandatory masking policy at this time. The Board will revisit this issue again prior to September.

The Board recognizes that this decision is very important, as we consider the safety and well-being of our diverse, supportive community. In order to gather data about the impact this decision would have on our membership and volunteers, the Board broadly solicited responses to an online survey between March 16 and April 12 and hosted a two-hour online Town Hall meeting where members could talk with Board members directly about their desires and concerns.

The proposal under consideration was to change the CSPC’s masking policy from the requirement of KN95/ N95 or equivalent masking when not actively eating, drinking, or involved in a scene to making masking optional, though still strongly encouraged as a method of protecting ourselves and others from spreading Covid and other airborne illness. The CSPC committed to continue providing free masks to those who wished to wear them.

The survey gathered data on the self-reported frequency of respondent attendance and volunteering at in-person events, and then asked how the adoption of an optional masking policy would impact their personal attendance or volunteering: more likely to attend/volunteer, less likely to attend/volunteer, or the same likelihood of attending/volunteering if the optional masking proposal were adopted. We also included an open text field for respondents to share their thoughts and ideas about this issue in writing.

271 people responded to the survey prior to the Board’s vote on this issue at the Board meeting on April 12. The survey data for various groups of respondents is detailed below:

Data table from CSPC Member Survey on Masking, March-April 2023

The comments made by the 17 attendees at the Town Hall meeting on April 3 reflected greater support for maintaining the mandatory masking policy. All of those who spoke at the Town Hall indicated that they had also submitted a response to the survey. Most comments on the survey and at the Town Hall in support of mandatory masking were focused on the health implications for medically vulnerable members; most comments in support of optional masking were focused on reducing consent and connection challenges presented by masking (difficulty reading lips in a hearing-impaired environment, etc.).

The survey construction provided the Board with several key data points toward making this decision. It allowed analysis of projected individual choice in frequency of attendance and volunteering in a specific circumstance (optional masking) with respect to their own current participation levels. It also provided an opportunity for respondents to share their feelings, reasoning, and ideas for other possible solutions beyond the proposal presented.

With the relatively even spread of survey responses by the responding population as a whole, the Board was faced with the question of whether there might be a way to inclusively support members on both sides of this question. One idea shared by multiple sources was to make the masking policy party-specific so that more medically vulnerable folx would still have opportunities to connect with their sex-positive community in a mandatory masking environment, while also providing selected opportunities for those who struggle with reduced communication and connection due to masking to attend masking-optional events.

Of course, this idea would not be possible to implement if all Event Champions were committed to maintaining mandatory masking at their events, so the Events Director queried the Event Champions about their interest in changing the masking policy at their specific event. Of the six Champion teams responding, two of six were interested in making masking optional at their event, with four teams electing to maintain mandatory masking.

With all of this information in mind, the Board drafted the Preamble and Motion below for consideration at the April 12 Board meeting:

Preamble:

All in-person events currently require attendees and volunteers to wear an N95/KN95 or equivalent mask.
The decision as to whether to maintain or change the current masking policy is an incredibly difficult one.
The removal of the final WA State masking mandate at the start of April was the catalyst for the Board asking the membership how they would like to proceed.
The feedback collected via the online form indicates a split in membership opinion.

271 responses
(34% more likely, 37% less likely, 29% same likelihood of attending)
The feedback also shows that our volunteers are more in favor of keeping masking:
70 volunteer responses
(17% more likely, 39% less likely, 44% same likelihood of attending/volunteering)

The virtual town hall held on April 3rd leaned in the direction of maintaining our current masking policy.
Given that there is no clear path forward and that this is such a deeply felt, emotional issue with serious possible health implications, the Board is leaning toward a nuanced policy, rather than a one-size-fits-all solution. This policy will allow for some events to continue to require masks while others will have optional masking.
We consulted with the Event Champions, asking them what policy they thought would best meet the needs of their regular event attendees and volunteers.
Any member who does not feel the decision we come to tonight represents their needs is encouraged to volunteer and be the change they want to see

For example: Propose a new event with the policy you prefer

The Board strongly encourages all of our event volunteers and attendees to continue wearing an N95/KN95 or equivalent mask at all times other than when eating/drinking, or when engaged in a scene. We will continue to provide masks for those without one. We also encourage our community to stay home if you feel unwell or if you have reason to believe you may be infectious with covid or any other transmissible disease. Please self administer a rapid test prior to coming to our events.
At present and for the sake of considering this vote, Event Champions have indicated a preference for the following:

Fresh Meet, Sense and Sensuality (SaS), F’in Precious, and LaQueer would like to maintain the current mandatory masking requirement
PPMT and the Myself Party would like to opt for optional masking

Motion:

The Board of the CSPC will change its current mandatory N95/KN95 or equivalent mask requirement at all indoor, in-person events to allow event Champions to alter the masking policy for their event taking place on or after June 1st 2023. Their decisions should be based on their understanding of what is best for their event and/or reflects the desires of their attendees. Any changes in policy for a specific event will need to be approved by the Board and decided before tickets go on sale. Champions of newly created events will consult with the Board and announce their masking policy prior to tickets going on sale. The Board will revisit this policy prior to the September Board Meeting, unless there is a clear need to do so before then.

The Board discussed the implications of this motion at the meeting, with concern for the plurality of members who expressed a strong need for continued mandatory masking, especially in light of the availability of other masking-optional venues in our community. The Board also discussed the long term issues that might arise from making masking policy decisions the responsibility of Event Champions rather than the Board, as well as questions about what future conditions might trigger a change to optional masking if the current conditions are not adequate. As a result of this conversation, the vote that followed was split 4 nay-3 aye, and this motion failed to pass.

The CSPC will continue to require N95/KN95 masking when not actively eating, drinking, or participating in a scene at all indoor in-person events. The Board will continue to monitor the public health conditions and engage with the community in its decision-making processes. Thank you to all of you who so passionately shared your thoughts and ideas. You help make the CSPC the diverse, supportive, sexual, and sensual community that it is.

Please send any questions or comments to info@thecspc.org.