We Need to Talk: Harassment Policies

After work today I’m heading to literary science fiction/fantasy convention. I’m pretty excited. It’s probably too late for you this year, but next year you should consider going to FOGcon here in the San Francisco Bay Area. I’ll buy you a drink.

Anyhow, FOGcon has a clearly articulated and posted policy on harassment. This is something many conventions and conferences do. TAM has one as well, but there was a bit of a furor over it, including talk of boycotting the event.

What are the benefits, for you, of their being a clearly stated and enforced policy on harassment? What arguments have you heard against such policies? Is there an argument against a harassment policy being written, posted, and enforced that isn’t horrible?