Taiyou Con Is Underway With ‘Precautions’ After Sexual Misconduct Allegations

Mesa, Arizona’s Taiyou Con has commenced on Jan 7, 2022, with a brand new director Jai Son, and revised tips after the earlier director Gackto was accused of sexual assault on social media final month.

The official web site of Taiyou Con just lately added a web page about reporting misbehavior and introduced their updates on Fb and Instagram accounts reminding the face-covering requirement whereas indoors.

“Don’t neglect that we now have in depth insurance policies for the occasion. If you happen to see one thing that’s not presupposed to occur, please report it. We’re dedicated to making sure a enjoyable and protected occasion for everybody,” the Fb put up reads.

Taiyou Con web page about reporting misbehavior additionally states that Mesa Police Division will probably be patrolling the conference all weekend, and workers members will probably be seen with orange or yellow shirts to take acceptable motion if required.

Mesa Police Sgt. Chuck Trapani confirmed that the division “can have a number of off-duty law enforcement officials working the occasion.”

“Anybody can report disruptive incidents like harassment, stalking, property injury, protests, unapproved promoting, soliciting & extra. Please look over the Harassment Coverage, Costume Code Coverage, and so forth. within the web site menu beneath Data.”

Moreover, the conference’s contracted lodging, the Delta Resort, is unaffiliated with Taiyou Con, however organizers stated they’ll “work with the resort to maintain information of actions taken by resort workers, resort safety, and can revoke conference badges from people faraway from the conference resort web site by resort safety or native legislation enforcement.”

The web page additionally supplied cellphone numbers for quite a few hotlines on misconduct reporting requirements.

The workers of the conference posted a press release on Dec 21, 2022, stating that Gackto “will now not be working with the conference anymore” and wouldn’t be on the premises through the occasion.

Following Gackto’s accusation, a number of social media customers have posted feedback requesting details about how the conference would “construct again the group’s belief and good will,” as promised in Taiyou Con’s Dec. 20 assertion.

Taiyou Con’s accounts don’t seem to have publicly answered these questions.

This incident gave rise to a non-public Fb group and Twitter, @BancottTaiyou, devoted to planning successfully boycott the conference and expose misconduct in any respect cosplay and anime conventions. Greater than 70 individuals have joined the group.

Bancott Taiyou is organized by a 23-year-old Kaila Rain, who helped draft an open letter to Jai Son and Taiyou Con workers with recommendations on “how we will transfer ahead and start to heal this group.”

Boycotters of the occasion demanded refunds for individuals who now not want to attend the occasion amongst different measures.

25-year-old Arizona resident, Allie Heady, detailed in a public Fb put up on Dec. 15, 2021, that she had been sexually assaulted by somebody identified inside the anime and cosplay communities as Gackto in December 2017.

A Fb account named “Gackto Kristian Okay Takaida” made a public put up on Dec 16,2021, following Heady’s put up, agreeing so far “this lady”. Nonetheless, he refuted the assault claims.

The conference workers appointed Jai Son as the brand new conference director for Taiyou Con 2022.

Taiyou Con 2022 is scheduled to happen on the Mesa Conference Middle from Jan 7-9, 2022, after rescheduling it from 2021 the occasion.

For 10 years the occasion has introduced collectively followers of anime, cosplay, video video games and Japanese popular culture in a celebration that contains particular friends, panelists, competitions, and procuring.

Supply: Azcentral