CODE OF CONDUCT

Renaissance Rumble (the “Organization”) is a professional wrestling training and performance organization that strongly supports the rights of all its employees, performers, production staff, and volunteers to work in an environment free from all forms of discrimination or harassment on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, gender identity/expression, sexual orientation, marital status, national origin, ancestry, citizenship, age, disability, status as a covered veteran, or other protected criteria under Local, State, or Federal Law.

Renaissance Rumble has a zero tolerance policy for discrimination, harassment, bullying, or intimidation of any person, including but not limited to an employee, volunteer, trainer, trainee, participant or patron. Any form of discrimination, harassment, bullying, or intimidation will not be tolerated and may be grounds for termination of employment, training, or volunteer status from the Organization.

Participation within Renaissance Rumble is contingent on reading and agreeing to follow the below Code of Conduct.

Expectations

  1. All trainers, staff, assistants, employees, and volunteers of Renaissance Rumble will respect the boundaries of our trainees and persons training on our location, as well as their pronouns, and adhere to a 100% consent-based training experience.

  2. Everyone within this Organization has the right to say “No” to anything they don’t feel is healthy or safe for them without fear of reprisal or retaliation.

  3. Everyone within the Organization who has previously given consent may then revoke consent at any time without any explanation required.

  4. All trainees and persons training on our location will respect the time, pronouns, and professional and physical boundaries of all Renaissance Rumble staff (trainers, assistants, and corporate staff).

  5. Any misconduct (sexual or otherwise) with minors (in any setting or scenario) is strictly prohibited and will be dealt with immediate dismissal from any position within the company or within the training ranks (no refunds will be given to trainees that violate this and any company officer or person associated with the corporate mechanism will forfeit their rights to any shares of profit or company assets).

  6. Any illegal activity within our space or performance venues will result in immediate dismissal from any position within the company or within the training ranks (no refunds will be given to trainees that violate this and any company officer or person associated with the corporate mechanism will forfeit their rights to any shares of profit or company assets).

  7. Involvement in either misconduct or illegal activity may be subject to external review or consequences. In such occurrences, Renaissance Rumble will provide a truthful account of what was witnessed.

Harassment

Sexual Harassment

The following definition of sexual harassment from the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission makes consistent reference to the word "sex" because it falls legally under "sex discrimination." For purposes of applying this definition in the context of the artistic workplace, the word "sex" can be understood broadly and diversely to mean one's gender.

“It is unlawful to harass a person (an applicant or employee) because of that person’s sex. Harassment can include “sexual harassment” or unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, and other verbal or physical harassment of a sexual nature.

Harassment does not have to be of a sexual nature, however, and can include offensive remarks about a person’s sex.

For example, it is illegal to harass a woman by making offensive comments about women in general. Both victim and the harasser can be either a woman or a man, and the victim and harasser can be the same sex.

Although the law doesn’t prohibit simple teasing, offhand comments, or isolated incidents that are not very serious, harassment is illegal when it is so frequent or severe that it creates a hostile or offensive work environment or when it results in an adverse employment decision (such as the victim being fired or demoted).

The harasser can be the victim's supervisor, a supervisor in another area, a co-worker, or someone who is not an employee of the employer, such as a client or customer.”

- U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission

The EEOC covers “employees” only. For that reason, this Code of Conduct seeks to provide a definition for sexual harassment in the theatrical workplace for participants not covered by EEOC laws and other regulations, and to provide an understanding of and sensitivity to the nuances of a theatrical workplace.

Harassment in a broader sense includes, but is not limited to:

  • Inappropriate, unwanted, or insulting remarks, gestures, jokes, or innuendos, or taunting about a person's gender, gender identity, sexual identity, racial or ethnic background, color, place of birth, citizenship, ancestry, creed, body, attire, and/or ability.

  • Unwanted questions or comments about a participant’s private life outside the boundaries of consent established through the process of training

  • Posting or displaying materials, articles, graffiti, and so on, which may cause humiliation, offense, or embarrassment.

  • Any unwanted or inappropriate physical contact beyond the scope of physical training such as but not limited to touching, kissing, patting, hugging, or pinching beyond the scope of physical training.

  • Unwelcome inquiries or comments about a person's sex life or sexual orientation

  • Leering, whistling, or other suggestive or insulting sounds

  • Direct or implied requests or demands for sexual favors that include or imply promises of rewards for complying (e.g., advancement opportunities) and/or threats of punishment for refusal (e.g., denial of advancement or opportunities)

  • Assumptions that consent within the scope of physical training and the training space is applicable to engaging in unwelcomed sexual and/or romantic interactions, behavior, and/or advances outside of training

  • Improvising and/or performing physical actions within the scope of training that allude to sex without expressed consent or previously agreed-upon boundaries by all parties involved/present.

All trainers, trainees, staff, assistants, employees, and volunteers of Renaissance Rumble have the right to be free from:

  • Any sexual solicitation or advance made by a person in a position to confer, grant, or deny a benefit or advancement outside production content

  • Reprisal or threat of reprisal for the rejection of a sexual solicitation or advance where the reprisal is made by a person in a position to grant, confer, or deny a benefit or advancement

Renaissance Rumble understands that a person does not have to be a direct target to be adversely affected by a negative environment. Creative atmospheres are not always “emotionally sanitary”—they can safely be bawdy, profane, vulgar, and challenging. By centering on consent-based training, we seek to create an open and safe performance training space that is consensual to all.

Bullying and Intimidation

Renaissance Rumble seeks to build a training space and training practices free of harassment, intimidation, threats, and bullying, and to create spaces where trainees can experience healthy training and creativity, not psychological or physical harm.

Bullying is defined as:

“An intentional act that causes harm to others, and may involve verbal harassment, verbal or non-verbal threats, physical assault, stalking, or other methods of coercion such as manipulation, blackmail, or extortion.”

Bullying includes actions such as making threats, spreading rumors, attacking someone physically or verbally, making belittling comments and/or persistent unprofessional criticism, and maliciously excluding someone from career circles on purpose.

In order to be considered bullying, the behavior must be aggressive and include:

  • An Imbalance of Power: People who bully use their power - such as physical strength, access to embarrassing information, or influence - to control or harm others. Power imbalances can change over time and in different situations, even if they involve the same people

  • Repetition: Bullying behaviors happen or have the potential to happen more than once.

Renaissance Rumble understands that many bullies within professional wrestling operate under the pretense of “journeyperson culture” and under the misconception of “paying your dues.” Victims often believe that they may deserve the criticisms/intimidation/harassment, or are simply too embarrassed, reluctant, or fearful to confront the harasser.

As part of our zero-tolerance policy, Renaissance Rumble commits to taking accusations of bullying seriously and making it clear to all trainers, trainees, staff, assistants, employees, volunteers, trainees and persons training at Renaissance Rumble that such behavior will not be tolerated.

Romantic/EXTRA-personal relationships

While engaged or employed by Renaissance Rumble, all trainers, assistants, staff, and/or persons anyway associated with Renaissance Rumble’s corporate mechanism are barred from dating, or any other way being romantically involved, with any of our trainees or persons training within our system.

If a previous romantic relationship is present prior one or both parties have joined the company, a Consensual Relationship Disclosure must be signed by both parties and submitted to Organizational Leadership.

Violations, Reporting, & Conflict Resolution

All trainers, staff, assistants, employees, and volunteers of Renaissance Rumble have a responsibility to report any action or suspected action taken within the Organization that is illegal, unethical or violates any adopted policy of the Organization ("Violations").

Anyone reporting a Violation must act in good faith, without malice to the Organization or any individual in the Organization and have reasonable grounds for believing that the information shared in the report indicates that a Violation has occurred. A person who makes a report does not have to prove that a Violation has occurred.

No one who, in good faith, reports a Violation or who, in good faith, cooperates in the investigation of a Violation shall suffer harassment, retaliation, or adverse employment consequences. Any individual within the Organization who retaliates against another individual who has reported a Violation, in good faith, or who, in good faith, has cooperated in the investigation of a Violation is subject to discipline, including termination of employment, training, or volunteer status.