Code of Conduct
Our Code of Conduct is how we ensure that every Smut Slam is a safer, braver, inclusive space for everyone– tellers and audience alike. Coming to a Slam? Read up to prepare, although we also cover the Code at the top of every show. Confused about the format? Check out how Smut Slam works.
RULES FOR TELLERS
- No notes, costumes, or props; this is storytelling, not theater.
- Only five minutes, with a one-minute grace period AND
- The story must be real and have happened to you.
- Keep the mic very close to your mouth so we can hear your awesome story!
- CONSENT IS KEY. These must be stories about consensual sex. If it’s not consensual, then it’s not sex. (Save it for a different story night, or your therapist.)
- This is not a “Kinkier Than Thou” competition; tellers don’t get bonus points for more people and/or equipment in the story. We welcome people with all types and amounts of sexual experiences to our space.
- That said, some stories are very raw and heavy. You’re not required to give a content warning or note before your story, but if the topic might be triggering, we encourage it.
- You don’t always need to be the hero. Stories often are funny and/or “epic win,” but we want to encourage people to consider sharing their sad, disturbing, poignant, serious, simple and/or “fail” experiences, too.
- Smut Slam is queer-friendly, kink-friendly AND vanilla-friendly, fat-friendly, poly-friendly, sex worker-friend, asexual-friendly- we are just super friendly!
- We don’t welcome stories involving racism, transphobia, homophobia, sexism, body-shaming, or any other discrimination or nonconsensual fetishization or objectification. (We haven’t ever had to interrupt a story, but we have occasionally had a teaching moment from the mic afterward.)
RULES FOR AUDIENCE
- No interrupting. Also, try to get your drinks or potty breaks between stories.
- That said, if a story’s topic is too intense or triggering for you, it’s totally okay to duck out for a few minutes. Take care of yourself!
- No heckling. We love rowdiness, but only one person has the mic. If it’s not you, don’t interrupt and don’t be a jerk to try to be funny.
- Don’t yuck someone else’s yum. If a story is about something that’s not your thing, remember that it’s their thing and squash the instinct to make faces or noises.
- Show the storytellers some love– it’s hard to get up and talk about really intimate moments, so reward them for being brave! Without them, we’d just be a room full of people drinking and getting bored.
- No necking in the front row.
- What happens at Smut Slam stays at Smut Slam; if it’s not your story, it’s not your story to tell. (Think of it as our own mini-Las Vegas!)
- No photos or videos of the performance. Please ask people before taking pictures of them in the lounge or theater outside the show.