To the Denver Community

We have heard about the report of improper conduct at a Denver Freaks event last year when we were at Second Circle. We recognize that reporting any sort of assault, intimidation, or threat, to anyone, on any forum, takes a lot of courage and can be very triggering. We want to express our empathy and our compassion for anyone who has ever been harmed or felt unsafe in our community or at our events. We are working hard to ensure that situations like that do not happen at any kind of event we are affiliated with.

Denver Freaks is also aware that there are multiple allegations and issues with Second Circle Studios. **To be explicitly clear, Denver Freaks completely severed ties with Second Circle in December of 2021** because of our concerns with the venue and its owner. We are no longer affiliated with them in any way.

When The Rabbit Hole’s owner shared her vision for creating a safe space for community education, workshops, connection, and events we were happy to make it our new home. Everyone affiliated with TRH is committed to providing a SAFE, welcoming, body-, gender-, and sex-positive venue.

During Denver Freaks events we actively manage all guests; forbidding entrance to those that conduct themselves improperly or in any way that challenges our ideals. We take the report of inappropriate conduct seriously, and as a result we have established several changes that we will implement to reflect our commitment to improving Denver Freaks events and curating a safer space for our community.

Every party has a security guard present at the door and is attentive to door/party needs and concerns. Upon confirming specific names against the guest list with attendees, the door person will review all house and event-specific rules with every attendee. Rules will be reviewed with all guests no matter if it’s their first party or 15th party. New implementation of colored wristbands for those that do not wish to be approached (do not talk to me, do not approach, do not touch) and for those that are new and want to be approached. Red is “do not approach.” Black is “new and approaching is fine.” The door person will offer the bands, and will review their meaning, with every attendee. It is not required to wear a band, but it is required to respect the meaning and usage of bands if someone chooses to use them.

The Rabbit Hole has created an anonymous form for individuals to submit consent or safety concerns. The link will be available on DenverFreaks.com, on the Rabbit Hole’s Fetlife page, and in Eros.org’s resource section. The option to provide contact info will be available for those that would like to be followed up with directly. The form will also allow attendees to submit general suggestions for improvements that they feel would improve the community space and safety of all events at the venue.

The creation of a Safety Chairperson will be enacted. This individual will be the go-to for reporting issues, concerns, etc. regarding safety and consent at all events. This Chairperson will also review concerns that are submitted, follow up with victims (if they desire), and work to implement safety changes based on these reports. As always, consent is paramount!

Furthermore, we want to ensure the safety of our community’s sexual health. Disclosing your sexual health and testing status should be a part of all pre-play discussions and consent. Knowingly withholding your positive testing status is a consent violation, Improper Conduct, and will be grounds for removal. That said, we are collaborating with HeyDenver to host a free STI Testing event at The Rabbit Hole on October 19th. If you are unable to make it to the event or would like to test on your own time and privacy, we recommend Hey Denver!, Denver Health, and Planned Parenthood for free or low-cost testing options.

Improper Conduct is never tolerated at any event and any allegations of the kind will be thoroughly investigated. In addition to any support and resources that we can provide, we would also like to make the following resources accessible:

National Sexual Assault Hotline through RAINN at 1-800-656-HOPE

RAINN is the The Rape, Abuse, & Incent National Network and is the largest anti-sexual violence organization in the nation. We encourage anyone who has experienced sexual assault or abuse to contact RAINN to access local resources! We pledge to making available donations to RAINN a staple of all future events.

Rocky Mountain Crisis Partners: Crisis Helpline (24 hour) at 1-844-493-TALK

Domestic Violence and Rape Helpline (24 hour) at 1-800-799-SAFE