The Mary Sue

[The Mary Sue]

“You may also remember Benson from such “comedy” videos as, what our friend Marlene likes to call, “Cosplay Creep.” We wrote about it briefly in a larger piece on harassment but at San Diego Comic-Con in 2013, Benson produced a video in which he spoke in a sexual manner (innuendo or explicitly) to women in costume without warning.

We don’t want to give his YouTube account more views, but in the latest video titled “Hitting COSPLAYERS in the FACE! – ComiKaze 2014,” (with “How to hit people in the face and get away with it!” in the about section) Benson hits those he’s interviewing in the face with his microphone. Repeatedly.”

- How Is Greg Benson Still Getting Into Comic Conventions When He is Literally Hitting Cosplayers in the Face? | The Mary Sue

[The Mary Sue]

We are very excited to announce today that ReedPOP, the folks behind New York Comic Con and several other fan conventions, have asked us for help with their harassment policy. We’d like to take it one step further and ask for YOUR input as well. Find out how you can help!

New York Comic Con Has Asked Us To Help Draft Their Harassment Policy! | The Mary Sue

[The Mary Sue]

I will tell you, though, that because we’re really an international show, and have 3,000 members of the media, I think the story would be harassment is such an issue at Comic-Con that they needed to post these signs around there. Now, people within the industry, and fans, know that isn’t the case, but the general public out there, and I think the news media, might look at this as, “Why would you, if this wasn’t such a bad issue, why do you feel the need to single out this one issue and put signs up about it?” I think that’s a concern.

Watch as the director of marketing and public relations for San Diego Comic Con says that doing more to create a clear and public anti-harassment policy at the world’s biggest comic con would imply that con harassment is a problem. The problem is: it’s a problem.