BUTCH Voices Conference is Scent-Free & Smoke-Free
For our in person events, space will be a scent/fragrance free environment. This means all conference participants need to refrain from wearing products with scent and fragrance including: soap, body wash, deodorant, shampoo, conditioner, lotion, hair product, cologne and perfume. You can check the ingredient list for the word ‘fragrance’ if you are unsure if your products are scented. See the links below for lists of products that are inscribed and contain no fragrance. This will make our conference space more accessible for people with multiple chemical sensitivities (MCS) and/or environmental illness (EI).
Helpful Scent-Free Links:
Peggy Munson, Fragrance Free Environment FAQs (pdf)
Femme of Colour Realness, Fragrance Free & Beyond
Billie Rain, Myths & Facts about MCS (pdf)
Billie Rain, Helpful Downloads for Conference Goers
East Bay Meditation, Accessibility & Awareness
People with MCS can have a variety of symptoms from being exposed to scents including seizures, headaches (ranging from mild to severe migraine), respiratory symptoms such as asthma attacks, increase in chronic pain symptoms (these symptoms can last for weeks after an exposure). MCS is a cumulative, progressive disorder with no cure, so the more someone is exposed, the worse their symptoms become. During the conference, you may be asked politely by a BUTCH Voices volunteer at the start of workshops and keynote addresses; to wash off a scent or use baking soda/unscented wipes to neutralize a scent (for hair, adding water will make a scent worse). We kindly ask that all conference attendees do not enter the space while wearing a scented product.
Smoking-Free: Oakland, California law states one must be 25 feet away from all public buildings, restrooms, conference spaces, restaurants and other public entities when smoking. Please remember to smoke away windows and doors of a building. When returning from the conference after smoking, we kindly ask all smoking attendees to please wash hands and face with scent -free soap (provided) and when possible remove outer layer of clothing that may absorb smoke residue. Thank you.