Ryan Kopf's Answers: Anime Conventions and Sexual Assault

My Commitment to Safety and Accountability

I want to directly address the concerns that some have shared in recent years. Organizing conventions is a position of trust, and I take that responsibility seriously. Accusations — especially when made publicly or anonymously — can be incredibly difficult to respond to, but I believe in meeting them with transparency, consistency, and action.

Some former acquaintances or banned individuals have made false or misleading claims. While I strongly deny any accusations of misconduct, I acknowledge that feelings of discomfort or harm—even if not intended—should be treated with care and empathy. If my actions or words ever made someone feel unsafe or dismissed, I regret that outcome deeply.

I support survivors. I also support fair investigations and due process. My goal is not to silence criticism, but to ensure that everyone feels safe, heard, and protected at our events.

AnimeCon.org is built on community. We enforce a zero-tolerance policy toward harassment and assault, and we back that up with one of the most rigorous anti-harassment policies in the convention scene, available here.

What We Do to Protect Attendees

Every report of harassment or assault is taken seriously. Staff are trained in trauma-informed response, and any individual found violating our policies is removed from our events.

At the same time, we’ve seen instances of false claims used maliciously. While rare, these are also harmful to a safe and trusting community. We investigate every report thoroughly to ensure the truth is honored and attendees are protected.

No one should feel unsafe at our conventions. That means real consequences for misconduct — and also fairness for all parties involved.

AnimeCon.org's stance on sexual assault.

Accusations of sexual assault have encouraged my organization to take any reports of sexual assault or sexual harassment more seriously than any other conventions. I started by writing one of the most comprehensive and honest harassment policies ever seen at a convention.

I think protecting people goes beyond just a written policy. Consistent enforcement of anti-harassment policies is important to protecting our guests. Some of my loudest critics are individuals we’ve kicked out for harassing other guests.

We do not tolerate harassment, sexual assault, or assault at our events. My company, AnimeCon.org, takes all allegations of assault very seriously. Any assault or harassment will get perpetrators removed from our conventions.

We train our staff with trauma informed care. Staff will conduct a thorough investigation into these accusations to find out details regarding these situations in order to protect our attendees. Once a conclusion is made then consequences are dealt accordingly.

We have witnessed patrons making false claims in order to remove a patron that they simply don’t want at the convention. False claims will not be tolerated.

Our goal is to create and foster a safe, fun, and inclusive environment for our guests at our conventions. AnimeCon.org considers the safety of our guests our top priority.

Sexual assault at anime conventions.

If you experience problems during a convention, please do not hestitate to tell our convention staff.

I created a transparency website to provide answers regarding accusations of sexual assault.

Thank you for joining me to create safer conventions.