NO Touch: Do not touch another person or their property without explicit consent. Even if the touch is not sexual in your opinion (hugging someone, hand on the shoulder, etc.), never touch someone without explicit consent.

Discretion and Privacy:

1. Please do not give out the address, time or any details about our space or specific events to anyone without getting approval from an organizer. 
2. Do not talk about BDSM in the parking lot, lobby, or the vanilla room.
3. To respect the privacy of attendees,, do not divulge to anyone the legal names of any organizer or attendee, unless previously sanctioned by the individual. 
4. Do not bring guests who are not vetted. Anyone who attends Black Bird must go through the vetting process. Our vetting process is simple and beginner friendly! Check out the vetting form here: How To Join

Photography:

For the safety and discretion of all attendees, photography requires consent of ALL pictured, regardless of the nature of one’s inclusion in the photo. It is impossible to determine which parts of a person, their clothing, or their manner are distinguishable to others. As such, do not take photos of anyone without their explicit consent. This means that even if it’s “just the back of their head” or “just their shoe in the photo” you still need explicit consent. They may ask where the photo is going, if their shoe can be removed from the photo using an editor, etc.

Smoking

1. There is no smoking or vaping indoors. Smoking is allowed outside, however please be careful to cover up with vanilla attire when outside of our studio space.
2. Participating in classes and labs while under the influence of cannabis is PERMITTED due to its medical benefits, but if we feel you are so stoned that you present a safety risk to yourself or others, we will ask you to not participate in specific activities which we feel are unsafe.

No Alcohol:

1. Alcohol is not permitted at any Black Bird Events.
2. It may be allowed at privately booked photoshoots if discussed ahead of time and imbibed responsibly, and all ID’s checked regardless of your age.

Service dogs:

1. We are familiar with ADA laws and will not be obstructive. Please inform us if you’re planning to bring a service animal just so we have a heads up! This is especially important if your dog is still in training. MA law gives service dogs in training the same rights as a fully trained service dog. Please do not abuse this/ make it a problem.
2. We might want to inform attendees of the possibility of a dog being present, which is especially important for those with allergies. 

Medical attention:

1. We do not have licensed medical staff. If you have a specific medical need, such as assistance taking specific medication, then you are responsible to bring someone with you to assist. 
2. There is also a ConvenientMD urgent care just a few doors down.

Safe words:

1. There is no house-specific safeword. All attendees must respect normal English safe / command words during events, so “No, Down, Untie, Stop, Red.” 
2. At the moment, we do not allow CNC (Consensual Non-Consent) play at our studio.

Suspension

1. All Black Bird Members must be approved for suspension by one of our staff. Do not suspend without receiving that approval, even if you’ve been doing it for 10 years. Due to our insurance policy and the general safety and well-being of all community members, we need to keep tight records on any high-risk activities. Approval involves a quick interview about your training, education, previous suspensions, and demonstration of safe uplines.
2. Please arrange this discussion ahead of time, before an event. On your vetting form, there is an area to check off that you’ll be suspending, so we can discuss it then. If you have already been vetted, and suspension is a new skill, simply reach out to Info@RavensProductions.com or text Raven directly at (617) 545-7666

No nudity or Sex:

We do not allow nudity or sex at Black Bird Atelier events. Nudity is permitted for privately booked photoshoots between consenting adults, but sex is never allowed at our studio space. We love sex - please do it someplace that won’t be faced with legal liability.

Adults only:

1. Black Bird Atelier is 18+
2. We may check your ID to ensure this; please do not be offended. Consensual BDSM is not illegal, but it is highly frowned upon in society, so we must be extremely careful.
3. Your legal name will never be disclosed with anyone other than Raven, who is the sole owner of Black Bird Atelier.

Respect the studio:

1. Please do not cause harm to our lovely, brand new studio. 
2. All water bottles must have spill-proof lids
3. If there is a spill, simply inform a staff member.

How it works:

Each organization has its own way of handling incident reports. Here is the system at Black Bird Atelier:

1. Black Bird is run by a singular person, Raven. This means that there is no team reviewing the report, and therefore I can process reports faster. Black Bird is a small, private, members-only organization.
2. I understand that many people feel afraid to submit an incident report due to repercussions. Let’s be real, even if it’s “anonymous,” often the defendant in a report can figure out who submitted the report. Therefore, there are multiple options when you submit the report, for what solution you’re looking for. Keep in mind that not all solutions are granted (Ex: someone offends you, and you want them immediately banned. It is up to Raven to ban them. If someone is banned, they will be told which behavior has caused the ban). But in many cases, you may just want to inform me of someone’s behavior, so that they can be discretely educated on how to do better in the future, or to keep an eye out to see if this behavior becomes a recurring problem. 
3. In the case that you would like MORE than just an “fyi this happened,” reports will be investigated by interviewing both parties separately. This may take 2-3 rounds of interviews, all held privately. My goal is to settle all incident reports within 2 weeks.

What types of things qualify as an “incident?”

• Consent violations: when any aspect of an agreed-upon activity is deviated from or when an activity happens without informed, explicit, enthusiastic, and ongoing consent from all participants. Examples may include, but are not limited to: 
  • Situations in which a pre-established “no” has been disregarded
  • Sexual or scene-related actions/touch performed without pre-negotiation
• Code of Conduct Violations: anything that breaks the Code of Conduct

• Anything that indicates someone could be unsafe for our community
• Someone said something rude, offensive, or uncomfortable to you
• If you witnessed an event like this, but were not directly a part of it, then you may also make a report for that. I will gently reach out to check in with the affected party, but I will NEVER force someone to make a report. 

What happens after submitting a report?

Reports are handled on a case-by-case basis depending on the severity of the incident, requested outcome from the affected party, and willingness to take responsibility and do better in the future from the defendant. Outcomes range from taking a note down to keep an eye out for future problems, educating someone so they can do better in the future, temporary bans from specific Black Bird events, and full bans from the entire Black Bird community. Facts will be investigated from both parties in order to determine the best solution.