GeeksForCONsent (a project of Feminist Public Works) Takes on San Diego Comic Con International.
After receiving no response to multiple attempts to contact the conventions, our project, GeeksForCONsent petitioned San Diego Comic Con International this past spring asking for a more thorough and effective approach to the Convention's harassment issue at the July 2014 event. San Diego Comic Con did not respond to the petition, but in interviews stated that harassment was not a problem at the convention, and to put more energy into an anti-harassment effort would make it look like a bigger problem than it is. Their concern with bad press outweighed their consideration for the safety and enjoyment of the women and LGBTQ attendees of the convention. So, the team flew out to San Diego (thanks to generous crowdfunding for their comic book campaign to send them to the convention). While at the convention, GeeksForCONsent posted "COSPLAY =/= CONSENT" flyers throughout the convention and the events downtown but outside the convention hall. Staff tore the signs down and threatened to kick them out if they continued to post them. The next day, the team decided to post "official" anti-harassment posters, to show the convention how easy a solution would be to implement.
Throughout the convention they also gave interviews to NBC, CBS, The LA Times, TMZ, and even the Associated Press. They transformed the conversation from a handful of geeks shouting about harassment at the convention, into hundreds of thousands of people across the globe talking about harassment at conventions.
A few weeks later, New York Comic Con (another convention that had ignored GeeksForCONsent's emails seeking collaboration to improve their anti-harassment efforts) convened a panel to revamp their entire approach to harassment. And New York Comic Con's improvements to their anti-harassment policy is setting an incredibly example. The policy outlines unacceptable conduct in detail, provides clear mechanisms for reporting the harassment, and, via the addition to their convention app, allows for real time reporting for prompt response by convention staff at the location of the harassment.
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Throughout the convention they also gave interviews to NBC, CBS, The LA Times, TMZ, and even the Associated Press. They transformed the conversation from a handful of geeks shouting about harassment at the convention, into hundreds of thousands of people across the globe talking about harassment at conventions. 
A few weeks later, New York Comic Con (another convention that had ignored GeeksForCONsent's emails seeking collaboration to improve their anti-harassment efforts) convened a panel to revamp their entire approach to harassment. And New York Comic Con's improvements to their anti-harassment policy is setting an incredibly example. The policy outlines unacceptable conduct in detail, provides clear mechanisms for reporting the harassment, and, via the addition to their convention app, allows for real time reporting for prompt response by convention staff at the location of the harassment. 