Las Musas Community Standards
The following applies to all Musas whether they be debut Musas, Hermanas, or Madrinas.
Las Musas are a collective of women and otherwise marginalized people (whose gender identity aligns with femininity) Latinx middle-grade, picture book, and young adult authors and illustrators who have come together in an effort to amplify each other’s work and voices in the field of U.S. children’s literature. We provide mentorship to emerging and early-career writers, in order to demystify the publishing process, which has traditionally marginalized Latinx voices. Our Collective is based on mutual respect and support, and we want all Musas to feel safe and valued. As such, we expect each member (Hermanas, debut Musas, or Madrinas) to adhere to Las Musas Community Standards.
Las Musas does not tolerate harassment or hate speech in our community in regard to race, gender, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, disability, body size, age, religion, color, ethnicity or language.
Harassment is unwelcome conduct that may include, but is not limited to, deliberate intimidation, stalking (either digital or physical), harassing photography or recording, non-consensual physical contact, and unwelcome sexual attention.
Hate speech is understood as any form of expression in speech, writing or behaviour, intended to attack, vilify, humiliate, discriminate or incite hatred against a group or a class of persons on the basis of race, religion, skin color, sexual identity, gender identity, ethnicity, disability, or national origin.
Members asked to stop any harassing or hateful speech and/or behavior are expected to comply immediately. Las Musas will investigate and respond to any complaints against this type of behavior in a timely and sensitive manner.
Resulting actions may include, but are not limited to, mediation, removal from the group, and banning from Las Musas events. These standards apply to all spaces where Las Musas business is being conducted including but not limited to: email, Slack, text, social media, projects, virtual spaces and in-person events.
It is up to the Community Standards Committee to determine if a formal complaint constitutes harassment or hate speech.
Formal complaints should be submitted via email to [email protected]. See below for full informal vs formal complaint and mediation process.
By agreeing to these Community Standards, members of Las Musas Collective, agree to the complaint and mediation process as outlined below. Non-participation could be the basis for immediate removal from the group.
Being part of this group requires mutual trust. As such all Musas (Hermanas, debut Musas, Madrinas, and any future membership type) will respect each other’s intellectual property.
Furthermore, authentic, expressive discussions create camaraderie, but may also be sensitive and private. What’s shared within the Collective should stay within the Collective. Posts in closed groups (including texts, email, private posts, etc) may not be shared publicly.
Finally, being a member of Las Musas does not mean we endorse each member’s artistic content, but rather that we commit to a community of mutual respect. If there is any controversy with a book, we encourage the author to have a conversation with the Community Standards Committee.
Las Musas also wishes to acknowledge that the Latinx community has a long and painful history of anti-Blackness, sexism, homophobia, and transphobia.This will not be tolerated in Las Musas Collective and we commit to continued self-examination and growth.
These standards do not imply any legal rights or responsibilities, but are rather guidelines for conduct within the group and a protocol for managing complaints and inappropriate behavior.
Las Musas Collective reserves the rights to update these Community Standards as it deems necessary.
For further details on who Las Musas are, what we stand for, and what we hope to accomplish please read:
Who are Las Musas?
Our Voices Our Protest Statement
On Gender and Las Musas
Black Lives Matter
In Solidarity with the AAPI Community
It is our hope that by following these Community Standards we can continue our work as a collective in a healthy and respectful way.
COMPLAINT PROCESS
When possible, before the complaint process is initiated, we recommend that members attempt direct resolution with the other party. Many conflicts can be resolved with a conversation without the involvement of the Mediation or Community Standards Committee. If this is not possible, and the complaint needs to be escalated, the Community Standards Committee has outlined the following resolution process.
Resources for Handling Conflict
How to Handle Conflict in the Workplace/Blink
Informal complaint
Definition: If members are not able to resolve issues directly among themselves they can reach out to the Mediation team for help and informal mediation. An informal complaint can come in the form of direct communication with a member of the Mediation Team in an effort to resolve issues through discussion, problem identification, and/or clarification of the issues. This process does not require the complainant to submit anything in writing and is not subject to a timeline.
Formal complaint
Definition: A formal complaint is filed in writing (via email) when the informal mediation process has been exhausted or when the Mediation Team has deemed it a Community Standards violation is such that remedy must involve the Community Standards Committee.
Mediation and Community Standards Process for Informal & Formal Complaints:
Informal Complaints
Formal Complaints
Las Musas are a collective of women and otherwise marginalized people (whose gender identity aligns with femininity) Latinx middle-grade, picture book, and young adult authors and illustrators who have come together in an effort to amplify each other’s work and voices in the field of U.S. children’s literature. We provide mentorship to emerging and early-career writers, in order to demystify the publishing process, which has traditionally marginalized Latinx voices. Our Collective is based on mutual respect and support, and we want all Musas to feel safe and valued. As such, we expect each member (Hermanas, debut Musas, or Madrinas) to adhere to Las Musas Community Standards.
Las Musas does not tolerate harassment or hate speech in our community in regard to race, gender, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, disability, body size, age, religion, color, ethnicity or language.
Harassment is unwelcome conduct that may include, but is not limited to, deliberate intimidation, stalking (either digital or physical), harassing photography or recording, non-consensual physical contact, and unwelcome sexual attention.
Hate speech is understood as any form of expression in speech, writing or behaviour, intended to attack, vilify, humiliate, discriminate or incite hatred against a group or a class of persons on the basis of race, religion, skin color, sexual identity, gender identity, ethnicity, disability, or national origin.
Members asked to stop any harassing or hateful speech and/or behavior are expected to comply immediately. Las Musas will investigate and respond to any complaints against this type of behavior in a timely and sensitive manner.
Resulting actions may include, but are not limited to, mediation, removal from the group, and banning from Las Musas events. These standards apply to all spaces where Las Musas business is being conducted including but not limited to: email, Slack, text, social media, projects, virtual spaces and in-person events.
It is up to the Community Standards Committee to determine if a formal complaint constitutes harassment or hate speech.
Formal complaints should be submitted via email to [email protected]. See below for full informal vs formal complaint and mediation process.
By agreeing to these Community Standards, members of Las Musas Collective, agree to the complaint and mediation process as outlined below. Non-participation could be the basis for immediate removal from the group.
Being part of this group requires mutual trust. As such all Musas (Hermanas, debut Musas, Madrinas, and any future membership type) will respect each other’s intellectual property.
Furthermore, authentic, expressive discussions create camaraderie, but may also be sensitive and private. What’s shared within the Collective should stay within the Collective. Posts in closed groups (including texts, email, private posts, etc) may not be shared publicly.
Finally, being a member of Las Musas does not mean we endorse each member’s artistic content, but rather that we commit to a community of mutual respect. If there is any controversy with a book, we encourage the author to have a conversation with the Community Standards Committee.
Las Musas also wishes to acknowledge that the Latinx community has a long and painful history of anti-Blackness, sexism, homophobia, and transphobia.This will not be tolerated in Las Musas Collective and we commit to continued self-examination and growth.
These standards do not imply any legal rights or responsibilities, but are rather guidelines for conduct within the group and a protocol for managing complaints and inappropriate behavior.
Las Musas Collective reserves the rights to update these Community Standards as it deems necessary.
For further details on who Las Musas are, what we stand for, and what we hope to accomplish please read:
Who are Las Musas?
Our Voices Our Protest Statement
On Gender and Las Musas
Black Lives Matter
In Solidarity with the AAPI Community
It is our hope that by following these Community Standards we can continue our work as a collective in a healthy and respectful way.
COMPLAINT PROCESS
When possible, before the complaint process is initiated, we recommend that members attempt direct resolution with the other party. Many conflicts can be resolved with a conversation without the involvement of the Mediation or Community Standards Committee. If this is not possible, and the complaint needs to be escalated, the Community Standards Committee has outlined the following resolution process.
Resources for Handling Conflict
How to Handle Conflict in the Workplace/Blink
Informal complaint
Definition: If members are not able to resolve issues directly among themselves they can reach out to the Mediation team for help and informal mediation. An informal complaint can come in the form of direct communication with a member of the Mediation Team in an effort to resolve issues through discussion, problem identification, and/or clarification of the issues. This process does not require the complainant to submit anything in writing and is not subject to a timeline.
Formal complaint
Definition: A formal complaint is filed in writing (via email) when the informal mediation process has been exhausted or when the Mediation Team has deemed it a Community Standards violation is such that remedy must involve the Community Standards Committee.
Mediation and Community Standards Process for Informal & Formal Complaints:
Informal Complaints
- Informal Complaints can go to the Mediation Team after members have tried to resolve this issue via communication.
- The Mediation Team will consist of 2-3 members of Las Musas in good standing. This position rotates every year.
- At this point only the Mediation Team will be involved in the conversation. The Mediation Team will respect the process and will not discuss any complaint with any Musas outside of parties involved and the Community Standards Committee.
- The Mediation Team will investigate the accusations.
- What are the responsibilities of the Mediation Team: to attempt to resolve complaints, usually through recommendations (binding or not) or mediation.
- Depending on the accusation, if there is mediation or the complaint is sent to the Community Standard Committee for formal intervention.
- If the Mediation Team deems that the complaint needs to be escalated, they will confer with the parties involved, draft all relevant information before bringing it to the Community Standards Committee.
Formal Complaints
- A formal complaint can be filed via email to [email protected] or after the Informal Complaint process.
- At the time of the complaint, the information only goes to the Community Standards Committee.
- The Community Standard Committee will consist of 5 members of Las Musas in good standing. This position rotates every year.
- The Community Standards Committee investigates the complaint, including interviews with parties involved. The parties involved are protected against any retaliation.
- Any CSC member may recuse themselves from any particular complaint if they believe they cannot be impartial or are too connected to the situation.
- The Community Standards Committee decides if the complaint can be resolved with further mediation or if the action is so egregious that the member needs to be removed from the group immediately.
- If the complaint can be resolved with further mediation, the Mediation Team will continue to assist.
- If further mediation did not solve the issue, the Community Standard Committee conducts its suggested deliberation:
- Does the complaint go against Las Musas Community Standards?
- How do we move forward?
- Does it need to be presented to the Collective or can deliberation be handled within the Community Standard Committee?
- The Community Standard Committee may determine that resolution requires a vote from the Collective.
- While all members are welcome to vote, active members (those in their 6 month pre-pub and 6 months post pub) are required to vote.
- Issues that can require a collective vote include issues of governance and membership as outlined in the Community Standards.
- 80% threshold is required for any resolutions to pass or memberships to be accepted or revoked. Any NO votes must include reason. Any NO votes that have serious reasoning which go against community standards will be further investigated and will affect decision.