Dating Policy

The official recommendation of Philly Socialists regarding romantic, intimate, or sexual (RIS) relationships is that no member of Philly Socialists who has been around for a year or more should be in a RIS-relationship with a member or prospective member that has been around for only 6-months or less.

For the sake of clarity, here are some basic definitions:

1. A leader is anyone who supervises or directs members or volunteers, manages a projects, is democratically-elected to a position, or is appointed by a democratically-elected leader. Some examples of leaders are Central Committee leaders, project leaders, and event organizers.

2. A member is typically someone who pays dues. However, this policy also applies to anyone who takes a substantial role in Philly Socialists even if they do not pay dues. This might include things like coming to cadre meetings, taking on tasks, or helping lead an event.

Breaking this recommendation does not automatically lead to any action. However, if a leader breaks this recommendation twice, any member can initiate an investigation into the leader’s behavior. If a member breaks this recommendation three times, any member can initiate an investigation into the member’s behavior. 

If investigation suggests abusive or oppressive behavior (as outlined by our policies), then suspension or, even, expellusion may result.

Purpose:

The primary purpose of this policy is to offer the official recommendations of Philly Socialists regarding RIS-relationships between members and leaders. 

We want to be clear about a few points: 

1. Consensual, healthy, and otherwise completely acceptable relationships can exist between members and leaders. The aim of this policy should not be to police ALL RIS relationships.

2. This policy aims to regulate ONLY RIS-relationships. While other relationships can be abusive, it is beyond the scope of this policy to speak on those relationships

3. This policy does not seek to replace the Sexual Harassment Policy or Anti-Bullying Policy.

1. If a member is elected or appointed to a leadership position and has violated this recommendation twice, they may be investigated immediately.

2. The point is that this policy can be used to initiate an investigation. This investigation can then be used to justify the implementation of other behavioral policies. The idea is that sometimes comrades might not know of any specific infractions, but a comrade’s general behavior warrants concern. This policy creates a new way for comrades to initiate behavioral investigations without necessarily knowing that anything has happened (though the behavior raises serious concerns).