what is unabashed?

unabashed is an in-person queer kink con where participants are not just encouraged but are required to be involved in the intentional co-creation of community. the con is a full weekend long - this year, from friday september 13th to sunday september 15th. workshops, play parties, and lunch on saturday and sunday are all a part of your ticket.

it’s really happening again?!

YES. y’all made it possible. year four incoming. we can’t wait.

wait, did you change the month?

also yes. our schedules meant that october was going to be an intense month for all of us, even without everything that goes into producing unabashed. plus, the weather is better in september in colorado.

did the venue change again?

nope, we’re still in the same main venue we were in last year. we did have a gear swap at another venue last year, but we will not be using that venue this year.

in our main venue, we have rearranged the classroom space to provide more room. We will have a low-sensory tent outside the venue. check the accessibility FAQ for more info as we have it.

(you keep saying “we”. who’s “we”?)

good question. we are the producers - the community members, the people - who organize this event. there are five of us, all with different backgrounds and experiences in the world. two of us are people of the global majority, and, specifically, Black. you can learn more about each of us in our bios here.

we also want you to know that we're not profiting off of unabashed. we put unabashed on for two full years as a fully volunteer production team. last year, we paid ourselves a $250 honorarium each in addition to “free entry” to the con, where we worked the majority of the time. all told, that’s around $1 an hour (or less) for the time we each spent on unabashed last year, let alone over the other two years. we do want to say that this honorarium is not tenable for the long term, and we’re currently exploring options that provide transparency while keeping ticket prices reasonable, maintaining the integrity + offerings of the event and, eventually, expanding what we are able to return to the community as a collective.

the rest of the funds we receive go back into producing the in-person con, including comped tickets for presenters and staff; supporting presenters with travel and housing; venue and portapotty rental; food for our meals; etc. these funds are also occasionally used for other events, like, historically, our online play parties. we don’t have sponsors for this event like other cons do; we have also made the choice not to have vendors to save space - vendors that are also income generators for other cons. unabashed has been built from literally our first online play party through each of our events to the present, and we hope to keep it going in the same way. 

all that to say: we’re not in it for the money. we are not moving at the speed of perfectionism; we are moving at the speed of the resources available to us and intention. unabashed is a labor of love that the five producers offer to the queer kink community, and we hope you’ll receive it as such and share in collectively building it.

how are participants involved?

beyond attending the amazing workshops and parties held throughout the weekend, participants will support the con in various ways such as creating and leading a workshop or group activity, keeping the community space up and running smoothly, or helping keep us safe while we play. we are referring to this time as a work shift.

every person who comes to unabashed co-builds the event by completing a work shift.

what will a work shift consist of?

great question. everyone at unabashed co-builds the event by completing a two hour work shift at some point during the duration of the con. there will be a list of work shift descriptions in advance of the con so you can sign up for the shift you want. you can also apply to be a presenter, and if you’re chosen, your share will count as your work shift.

what can i do for my work shift?

all sorts of things! including but not limited to:

registration - working the registration table, greeting kinksters at the door, making sure they get schedules and nametags and a general orientation to the space.

dungeon monitor* - at the play parties, watching the action as a designated go-to person for questions and concerns.

coffee bar - morning or break-time shifts that involve making and serving coffee to attendees.

facilities - making the workshop spaces just right for incoming workshops, including setting up or taking down chairs, meeting accommodation needs, and getting slideshows or microphones set up.

workshop assistant - meeting the needs of presenters before, during, and after their workshops, such as helping them set up or getting them snacks/water (this does not include bottoming for a presenter’s workshop unless that is something you explicitly consent to ahead of time).

security - ideally someone with previous training, security folks are on call to be a centering, deescalating presence that assists in addressing any infractions of our community agreements, including things like mask-wearing or instances of racism/transphobia/ableism/other bullshit.

host - hosts are on call to answer questions, provide information, and guide folks from session to session.

most of these shifts can be performed seated, and we’re committed to accommodating folks because everyone can contribute to building our community. just let us know what you need. <3

* the dungeon monitor is a position that requires additional hours ahead of the con to take a free dm training provided by unabashed and led by an experienced member of our community. upon successful completion of the training and your shift, we are happy to provide you with a letter of reference for these skills. while this training is currently limited to folks working dm shifts, we hope to offer this training to the broader community in the future.

do i have to do a work shift?

yep! we think that every member of our community has amazing gifts - and we want everyone to be able to see the gifts that they and others have to offer the community. we think an event lands different when not just presenters or staff or producers but everyone present is vital to its success, and we also think that difference is apparent in the way people are present with each other and experience the weekend as a whole. so if a work shift isn’t something you’re up for, then this isn’t the event for you.

we’re continually working to make these shifts as straightforward as possible - you get to choose your own shift (including what you’re up to, the day, and the time), and we’re happy to provide any accommodations you might need. plus, you’re not doing this alone - often, other folks around are willing to help with quick things, and the event producers are there to handle anything more complex or out of the ordinary. if the work shift is still worrisome to you, email us - we’re happy to have a conversation about it.

but i’m paying for a ticket - why do i also have to work?

unabashed is a community con in that we collectively pool our resources to make this con the best that it can be. as we are stuck inside of capitalism while working to move towards collectivism, this whole con is at best an experiment where we are trying to move towards communal abundance in a world that would have us stuck and separate in scarcity. pooling our money, our time, and our labor helps us all get more out of the con together than we would individually.

at other kink cons, attendees usually contribute to this pooling of resources in the form of either money or time + labor spent giving back. at unabashed, however, we ask that attendees:

• help the collective pool money by paying the ticket price (or ask for a scholarship)

and

• help the collective pool time and labor in the form of a two-hour work shift. 

by buying a ticket to unabashed, you are consenting to pool your money, time, and labor in these ways.

we understand that this is a potentially hefty ask under our current systems. we agree that people's time and labor is worth something, and that's factored into our ticket prices. other weekend-long cons are $100 a day or more, and meal plans are often extra. our con in 2024 is $135 for two days and a night of programming, plus two meals. you can pay more, but no one has to.

and while other cons ask people to volunteer if they can't pay to come, substituting labor for money, 10% of available-to-purchase unabashed tickets are always no-questions-asked scholarships given out on a first-come, first-served basis. We believe that if you can't pay to come you should have the opportunity to have the same experience as everyone else who attends; you shouldn't have to give up part of your experience due to finances.

it’s worth noting that some other kink cons also have a work shift requirement - though in at least some of those cases, you can pay an extra fee to get out of that shift. we find that those cons don't have the same feel as this one, where a work shift is a requirement for all. attendees have said in their post-con surveys that their work shift created a sense of mutual accountability and involvement - which is precisely what we’re going for. we also think the con runs more smoothly for everyone if everyone is empowered to take care of themselves, each other, and the con as a whole. 

but we know that not everyone will be able to show up for each other in the same ways - and so we work with folks who need accommodations for their shift. need to sit the whole time in a comfy chair? there's a shift for that. have to split up your shift into smaller time lengths due to energy needs? let us know. disabled by the world and need a work shift that works for you? we'll work it out. If you're attending, we'll find a way.

(and if you have questions about how the producers contribute to this pool + what we receive from it, check out the “who’s ‘we’” question above.)

all this said, after the con, we will be sending out our usual feedback survey to attendees with additional questions about the work shift and scholarships. we will also be sending out a community survey between this year and next about barriers to attendance and using all responses - and especially PoGM responses - to inform our offerings for next year.

but there wasn’t much to do during my work shift?

work shifts have changed from year to year because we’re still getting this piece on lock: thinking about (a) what folks can do for this event and community and (b) what is helpful when throughout the weekend.

we have ideas for this year (and y’all gave us some through last year’s survey), but if you saw something that routinely needed doing last year that wasn’t really getting done, email us with what the task was and the rough timing of when it needed doing, and we’ll take that into account for this year.

what is your internet interaction policy?

as producers of unabashed, we welcome your questions, as well as your concerns, issues, and requests. we engage in good faith with those folks who engage in good faith with us.

We keep this FAQ as up to date as possible, and are deeply responsive to our community over DM and email. Once you have gotten in touch, and the producers have had a chance to discuss, we will follow up with you - whether with additional questions, a request for a longer conversation, or an outcome/resolution. We will also add to our FAQ if the outcome affects the rest of the unabashed community.

However, the comments section on social media is not the place for the longer, more-nuanced conversations that most concerns, issues, and requests require. Attempting to have these conversations in the comments necessitates urgency (when we should be slowing down to answer fully) and an always-on, rapid response approach (which is untenable for the producers as human beings). As such, we will not attempt to have deep conversations through social media comments.

For people who do not respect this boundary or who do not engage with us in good faith, we reserve the right to block them on social media or ban from attending unabashed for a year or more.

i looked at all the faq pages and have a question you didn’t answer!

send us an email! we will get back to you.