2 reports of sex assault placed to FanX harassment hotline, but most calls weren’t for misconduct, organizers say

SALT LAKE CITY — FanX Salt Lake Comic Convention event organizers and law enforcement officials are calling the inaugural year of a 24-hour FanX harassment hotline a resounding success.

“The message needs to be that it doesn’t matter what race, what religion, what gender, what gender identity, what gender orientation or sexual orientation — you deserve to feel safe and we won’t tolerate harassment or abuse,” Utah Attorney General Sean Reyes said Friday.

Most of the 14 calls put in to the hotline were for logistical questions, such as people asking where to go at the convention center or reporting lost wallets, Reyes said.

Two reports of sexual assault were called in to the hotline, and both have been referred to Salt Lake police for further investigation, according to Leo Lucey, chief of investigations with Reyes’s office. None of the other calls were determined to warrant any further criminal investigation.

Another 14 complaints were logged through the FanX help desk, according to co-founder Bryan Brandenburg. More of those were reports of harassment, such as someone being pushed or a volunteer yelling at a convention attendee, Brandenburg said.

Two of those calls were reports of touching without consent, but both were found to be “fairly benign in nature,” Brandenburg said.

While he acknowledged that instituting the hotline is just the first step in a long-term solution for safety at FanX, Brandenburg said it worked well.

“We’re happy to report that there was significant awareness of our commitment to the safety of our attendees and any guest in the building,” he said.

FanX co-founder returns after leave of absence, promises improved harassment policy

FanX Salt Lake Comic Convention co-founder Bryan Brandenburg has returned to the organization after a brief leave of absence that he says provided him a “great opportunity” to improve the harassment policies at the event.

The hotline is modeled after a similar measure that was put in place at the Sundance Film Festival earlier this year.

One reason FanX organizers put together the hotline was due to a harassment dispute that involved Brandenburg earlier this year.

In May, he was involved in a harassment debacle with Utah author Shannon Hale. Brandenburg later apologized and took a leave of absence before returning last month with a commitment to improving harassment policies at FanX.

Also part of the event leadership’s response to the harassment issue was the founding of a community council. The council includes members of the community, some of whom have criticized FanX in the past.

Any reports that were not determined criminal in nature have been handed over to that community council, according to Lucey.

That included three or four complaints, Brandenburg said. The council also resolved some complaints that were outstanding from previous events leading up to FanX this year, he added.

Though the implementation of the hotline was a success, both Brandenburg and Reyes said they would like to advertise it earlier and more effectively for the next event in order to get the message out to more people.

“Getting the number out there and the message is going to be critical and important going forward,” Brandenburg said.

He added that he would like to expand panels at FanX that deal with topics such as harassment and bullying.

Reyes said the top goal for his office is to protect Utahns. He applauded FanX for taking the initiative on the harassment hotline and making event attendees safer.

“FanX is a place for individuals and families to come and celebrate and be happy,” Reyes said. “We’ll keep fighting to make sure we can keep that environment a safe and happy place.”

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