--- title: San Diego Comic-Con 2014: Geeks of CONsent Protest Sexual Harassment description: Geeks of CONsent have collected over 2,600 signatures canonical: https://time.com/3045797/women-comic-con-sexual-harrassment-petition/ author: Eliana Dockterman article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2014-07-28T16:49:47.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-05-11T04:42:53.861Z og:title: Women at Comic-Con Protest Sexual Harassment og:description: Geeks of CONsent have collected over 2,600 signatures og:url: https://time.com/3045797/women-comic-con-sexual-harrassment-petition/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltde1a714533ba65b4/69869d703bc99973aa1a4b48/rtr40112.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 3500 og:image:height: 1969 og:image:alt: Allie Shaughnessy, who is dressed as Mystique, poses during the 2014 Comic-Con International Convention in San Diego, California og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Women at Comic-Con Protest Sexual Harassment twitter:description: Geeks of CONsent have collected over 2,600 signatures twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltde1a714533ba65b4/69869d703bc99973aa1a4b48/rtr40112.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Comic-Con Women Protest Sexual Harassment > Sponsored content. 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It is a free newsletter available at time.com/newsletters. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-worth-2026q3/newsletters?i=fc3affca-6f89-4325-ad62-bb65f48cc2be&cr=time-nl-worth-2026q3-v1)  by [Eliana Dockterman](https://time.com/author/eliana-dockterman/)  ## Eliana Dockterman Correspondent Jul 28, 2014 4:49 PM UTC  Allie Shaughnessy, who is dressed as Mystique, poses during the 2014 Comic-Con International Convention in San Diego on July 24, 2014. Allie Shaughnessy, who is dressed as Mystique, poses during the 2014 Comic-Con International Convention in San Diego on July 24, 2014. Sandy Huffaker—Reuters  by [Eliana Dockterman](https://time.com/author/eliana-dockterman/)  ## Eliana Dockterman Correspondent Jul 28, 2014 4:49 PM UTC [As more women get involved with San Diego Comic-Con](http://time.com/3023606/san-diego-comic-con-avengers-fangirls-booth-babes/), some are calling for its organizers to institute an official anti-sexual harassment policy at the convention. Three women from Philadelphia who founded Geeks for CONsent have collected more than 2,600 signatures on a petition that demands such rule changes. Women have flocked to the [Geeks of CONsent site](http://www.geeksforconsent.org/) to share stories of harassment, ranging from cat calling to groping to taking underskirt shots at the world’s biggest comic convention, which took place over the course of four days last weekend. Many of these women were participating in cosplay, or dressing up like a character from a comic book, movie or TV show and adopting that character’s personality and traits. “Unfortunately, some con-goers see women in costumes as just a part of the convention scenery and believe they are dressed up solely to attract male attention,” Geeks for CONsent writes on their site. Geeks for CONsent emphasizes that “cosplay does not equal consent,” meaning that dressing up like a character (in a revealing costume or not) does not mean that women are inviting men to ogle or fondle them. Even as thousands of women signed the petition this weekend, objectification continued to be a problem at the convention. Scantily clad women known as “booth babes” were still used by many organizations to attract visitors to their events, and panel host Craig Ferguson described costumed women as “vaguely slutty,” [according to](http://nypost.com/2014/07/27/the-dark-culture-of-sexual-harassment-at-comic-con/) the New York _Post_. _Star Trek: The Next Generation_ actor and Comic-Con icon Wil Wheaton tweeted his support for the movement over the weekend: San Diego Comic-Con believes that its rules sufficiently address the offending behavior in question. “Comic-Con has an explicit Code of Conduct that addresses harassing and offensive behavior,” said Comic-Con International in a [statement on Sunday](http://www.mysanantonio.com/entertainment/article/Sexual-harassment-at-Comic-Con-in-the-spotlight-5650050.php) to the _Associated Press_. “This Code of Conduct is made available online as well as on page two of the Events Guide that is given to each attendee.” But the Geeks for CONsent founders claim that the code of conduct is vague and does not specifically address sexual harassment. They also assert that staff members working at the convention need to be trained in how to handle sexual harassment complaints. San Diego Comic-Con’s code of conduct currently [reads](http://www.comic-con.org/cci/convention-policies): --- > “” --- The women of Geeks for CONsent point to Awesome Con in Washington, D.C. as a model of what sexual harassment rules at San Diego Comic-Con could look like. The convention responded to complaints last year by partnering with Geeks of CONsent to provide a team of people who could act as a resource to attendees who feel unsafe. Awesome-Con’s [rules now say](http://www.geeksforconsent.org/awesome-con-awesomely-tackles-convention-harassment/) it has a “zero-tolerance policy against harassment, groping, stalking and inappropriate photography. Gender-based harassment doesn’t have to happen in the workplace to be unacceptable.”  Allie Shaughnessy, who is dressed as Mystique, poses during the 2014 Comic-Con International Convention in San Diego on July 24, 2014. Sandy Huffaker—Reuters  Comic-Con International 2014 on July 27, 2014 in San Diego. Gabriel Olsen—Getty Images  Costumed fans attend Comic-Con International on July 26, 2014 in San Diego. Chelsea Lauren—Getty Images  Comic-Con International 2014 on July 27, 2014 in San Diego. Gabriel Olsen—Getty Images  A costumed fan attends Comic-Con International on July 26, 2014 in San Diego. Chelsea Lauren—Getty Images  A costumed fan attends Comic-Con International on July 26, 2014 in San Diego. Chelsea Lauren—Getty Images  Costumed fan Alana Waffles attends Comic-Con International at San Diego Convention Center on July 27, 2014 in San Diego. Daniel Knighton—WireImage/Getty Images  Twin sisters Sarina Abrego (L) and Deana Abrego show off their costume interpretations of the robot R2D2 and Princess Leia from the movie "Stars Wars" on the second day of the 45th annual Comic-Con outside the San Diego Convention Center in San Diego on July 25, 2014. Robyn Deck—AFP/Getty Images  Comic-Con International 2014 on July 27, 2014 in San Diego. Gabriel Olsen—Getty Images  Costumed fan Joanne Lu attends Comic-Con International at San Diego Convention Center on July 27, 2014 in San Diego. Daniel Knighton—WireImage/Getty Images  Costumed fans attend Comic-Con International on July 26, 2014 in San Diego. Chelsea Lauren—Getty Images  Comic-Con International 2014 on July 27, 2014 in San Diego. 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