Code of Conduct

The Gathering is a public, community-governed standards process. This Code of Conduct sets expectations for respectful, constructive, and accountable participation across public workspaces.

Participation in The Gathering, including Stream drafts, review threads, and consensus discussions, requires adherence to these standards of behavior.

Scope

This Code applies to public participation areas operated by or connected to The Gathering, including:

  • Stream drafts, comments, and consensus records.
  • Public issue discussions and review feedback channels.
  • Community communications related to standards development and ratification.

Expected behavior

  • Be respectful, professional, and specific in feedback.
  • Critique ideas, text, and process decisions, not individuals.
  • Assume good intent while asking for technical clarity.
  • Keep comments relevant to the draft, evidence, and process stage.
  • Credit prior work and preserve accurate attribution in the public record.
  • Follow moderator or editor guidance when discussions need structure.

Unacceptable behavior

  • Harassment, intimidation, or personal attacks.
  • Hate speech or discrimination based on identity or protected characteristics.
  • Doxxing, threats, stalking, or publication of private information.
  • Deliberate disruption, repeated bad-faith posting, or spam.
  • Misrepresentation of authorship, process state, or consensus outcomes.

Moderation and enforcement

Moderators and maintainers may take proportionate action to protect the quality and safety of the process, including:

  1. Requesting clarification or issuing a warning.
  2. Editing, hiding, or removing violating content.
  3. Temporarily restricting participation privileges.
  4. Permanently removing access for repeated or severe violations.

Enforcement decisions are based on context, severity, and recurrence, with process integrity and participant safety as primary priorities.

Reporting concerns

To report behavior that violates this Code, use Contact & Support or email info@tg.community. Include links, timestamps, and relevant context when possible. Reports are reviewed in good faith and handled with care.

Relationship to process rules

This Code of Conduct complements the standards workflow described in Process and participation guidance in Participate. If a conflict exists between behavioral safety and workflow convenience, safety and process integrity take precedence.