I'm not sure what I mean by "fair," either, as that's a word that I generally try not to use. Sorry about that.
I don't think it's right to compare programmatic issues to issues of body ownership and selfhood; if you don't want to attend a program, you don't need it canceled, just go to some other event at the same time, or go to the dealer's room.
Likewise, individuals may do as they please with their bodies. Too many piercings or tattoos or what have you are personal decisions about that person's body that the owner (for lack of a better term) of that body have chosen to make. But that, of course, is the crux of the matter. It's fine for your friend to volunteer her breasts (or his breasts) in the quest for being touched. It's not okay for a group (and I note that there is no indication of how large the group was) to accost a woman - regardless of what she was wearing - and ask her for permission to violate her personal space. Frankly, I'd like to get the response of that woman walking down the hall, and see if she really felt comfortable or able to say "no."
And of course the question of consent upon arrival, unless, of course, the person in question is paying for a day pass, is complicated by the financial matter of having paid to attend an event that has turned out to be somewhat different than the event one paid for.
Re: the Open-source Boob Project
I don't think it's right to compare programmatic issues to issues of body ownership and selfhood; if you don't want to attend a program, you don't need it canceled, just go to some other event at the same time, or go to the dealer's room.
Likewise, individuals may do as they please with their bodies. Too many piercings or tattoos or what have you are personal decisions about that person's body that the owner (for lack of a better term) of that body have chosen to make. But that, of course, is the crux of the matter. It's fine for your friend to volunteer her breasts (or his breasts) in the quest for being touched. It's not okay for a group (and I note that there is no indication of how large the group was) to accost a woman - regardless of what she was wearing - and ask her for permission to violate her personal space. Frankly, I'd like to get the response of that woman walking down the hall, and see if she really felt comfortable or able to say "no."
And of course the question of consent upon arrival, unless, of course, the person in question is paying for a day pass, is complicated by the financial matter of having paid to attend an event that has turned out to be somewhat different than the event one paid for.