The time has come for a reminder that U.S.G.L. does not tolerate rape or any form of non-consensual sexual conduct or sexual harassment by or upon its members.
The following statement is from our Minerval Guide:
As expressed in Liber CI, the Order exists in part to foster free and joyful relations between its members. However, sexual conduct that is not between fully consenting adults is antithetical to freedom and is not tolerated in O.T.O.We also published a detailed policy statement on sexual harassment in AgapĂ©, Vol. 5 No. 3-4 (Oct 2003, Feb 2004 e.v.). A revised, more detailed version of this policy statement will be included in the next version of the Camp, Oasis and Lodge Master's Handbook (C.O.L.M.H.).Freedom has no room for coercion, and refusing an unwanted sexual advance is not “un-Thelemic.” No O.T.O. member should ever be forced, pressured, or made to feel obligated to have sexual relations with any other O.T.O. member, for any reason.
All members--women and men--who find themselves victims of non-consensual sexual conduct, are urged to report the incident to the Master of their Local Body as soon as possible. If, for some reason, reporting to the Local Master is out of the question, or has no effect, then the incident should be reported directly to the U.S.G.L. Ombudsman (ombudsman [at] oto-usa.org).
Officers of Local Bodies are always to take such complaints seriously, investigate them, and report them to an S.G.I.G. They should take local action, such as Notice, in minor cases where the S.G.I.G. agrees that local action is appropriate. Where local action is insufficient, the S.G.I.G. shall take additional action, which may include formal disciplinary action.
Since we do not have our own police force, the kinds of actions we are capable of taking within O.T.O. may not be sufficient to ensure the physical safety of a victim of rape or other serious assault. Even expulsion from Order membership does not make a person vanish from the planet. In such cases, the Master of the Local Body should assist the victim in notifying the appropriate authorities and obtaining suitable legal counsel. U.S.G.L. has additional resources for this--contact an S.G.I.G. if these are needed.
Also, I would like to appeal to the membership in general not to ostracize members who come forward with legitimate complaints about sexual misconduct by other members or friends, however well-liked those other individuals may be at the time. Doing so constitutes blaming of the victim, and simply creates an environment where victims will be afraid to report sexual misconduct--which can lead to an escalation of such misconduct.
As a Local Body, as a Grand Lodge, as an Order, we need to be united in the goal of creating and nurturing an environment where free relations between our brothers and sisters can be enjoyed without fear.
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