Re: [Wikimania-l] [Wikimedia-l] LGBT+ safety considerations for conference venues

List overview All Threads
Download

newer

older

Wikimania goals, strategy, and...

Future Wikimanias

Pine W

16 Oct 2016 16 Oct '16

5:26 p.m.

...

Hello all. I had a positive experience at WikiConference North America last weekend, where I gave a talk on transgender issues and Wikipedia.[1] I'm posting because there's an active discussion in Wikipedia Weekly on Facebook about choosing a host country for Wikimania 2018.[2] I am concerned that some of the suggestions are not taking into account the safety of LGBT+ people; not just those attending the conference, but also those living in the host country. As a queer trans atheist in a same-sex marriage, there are a number of places where I am considered a criminal for just existing or going about my daily routine. This applies to some parts of the U.S. as well, by the way; I won't be visiting North Carolina as long as it's illegal for me to use the men's restroom there. Please keep these considerations in mind when planning meetups and conferences. Thank you. - Pax aka Funcrunch [1] http://funcrunch.org/blog/2016/10/12/making-connections-at- wikiconference-north-america/ [2] https://www.facebook.com/groups/wikipediaweekly/permalink/ 1114259788621851/ -- Pax Ahimsa Gethen | http://funcrunch.org _______________________________________________ Wikimedia-l mailing list, guidelines at: https://meta.wikimedia.org/wik i/Mailing_lists/Guidelines New messages to: Wikimedia-l(a)lists.wikimedia.org Unsubscribe: https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimedia-l, <mailto:wikimedia-l-request@lists.wikimedia.org?subject=unsubscribe>

Attachments:

attachment.htm (text/html — 3.1 KB)

Show replies by date

Amir Ladsgroup

16 Oct 16 Oct

6:04 p.m.

New subject: [Wikimedia-l] LGBT+ safety considerations for conference venues

We talked about this in the LGBT meetup in Wikimania several times. As far as I remember it is a huge concern for coordinators and Wikimania committee when considering a bid for Wikimania. IIRC, there are several examples that situation of LGBT laws was a reason to reject a bid. So I assure you Wikimania committee is aware of these issues and keeps this in their mind when deciding on bids. (I must note I'm not in these committees. I talked about it with them before as a member of Wikimedia LGBT) I'm really saddened by the stupid laws made by ignorance of people. Let's laugh at it and then educate them: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PIvCh3EQv1Q :) Best On Sun, Oct 16, 2016 at 8:57 PM Pine W <wiki.pine(a)gmail.com> wrote:

...

Hi Pax, My understanding is that WMF is doing a strategic review of Wikimania. If that is correct, considerations like the ones you raise about location could be included in the scope of that review. I'm pinging Ellie with the hope that she can provide information about the status of WMF's thinking about Wikimania, perhaps in a new thread. Wikimania involves significant amounts of time and money, and I am hoping that WMF will develop ways to align Wikimania with WMF and community strategic goals. Pine On Oct 16, 2016 08:10, "Pax Ahimsa Gethen" <list-wikimedia(a)funcrunch.org> wrote: Hello all. I had a positive experience at WikiConference North America last weekend, where I gave a talk on transgender issues and Wikipedia.[1] I'm posting because there's an active discussion in Wikipedia Weekly on Facebook about choosing a host country for Wikimania 2018.[2] I am concerned that some of the suggestions are not taking into account the safety of LGBT+ people; not just those attending the conference, but also those living in the host country. As a queer trans atheist in a same-sex marriage, there are a number of places where I am considered a criminal for just existing or going about my daily routine. This applies to some parts of the U.S. as well, by the way; I won't be visiting North Carolina as long as it's illegal for me to use the men's restroom there. Please keep these considerations in mind when planning meetups and conferences. Thank you. - Pax aka Funcrunch [1] http://funcrunch.org/blog/2016/10/12/making-connections-at-wikiconference-n… [2] https://www.facebook.com/groups/wikipediaweekly/permalink/1114259788621851/ -- Pax Ahimsa Gethen | http://funcrunch.org _______________________________________________ Wikimedia-l mailing list, guidelines at: https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Mailing_lists/Guidelines New messages to: Wikimedia-l(a)lists.wikimedia.org Unsubscribe: https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimedia-l, <mailto:wikimedia-l-request@lists.wikimedia.org?subject=unsubscribe> _______________________________________________ Wikimania-l mailing list Wikimania-l(a)lists.wikimedia.org https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimania-l

17 Oct 17 Oct

6:38 a.m.

New subject: [Wikimedia-l] LGBT+ safety considerations for conference venues

Bangkok is not only an excellent geo location for a conference, the cost of living here in this ultra modern city is only one sixth of that of the Western and Westernised world (that will raise a smile for the WMF), and it is, due to Thailand's very old and very special 3-gender culture, possibly the most LGBT friendly city in the world. Kudpung

...

On 17Oct, 2016, at 01:04, Amir Ladsgroup <ladsgroup(a)gmail.com> wrote: We talked about this in the LGBT meetup in Wikimania several times. As far as I remember it is a huge concern for coordinators and Wikimania committee when considering a bid for Wikimania. IIRC, there are several examples that situation of LGBT laws was a reason to reject a bid. So I assure you Wikimania committee is aware of these issues and keeps this in their mind when deciding on bids. (I must note I'm not in these committees. I talked about it with them before as a member of Wikimedia LGBT) I'm really saddened by the stupid laws made by ignorance of people. Let's laugh at it and then educate them: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PIvCh3EQv1Q <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PIvCh3EQv1Q> :) Best On Sun, Oct 16, 2016 at 8:57 PM Pine W <wiki.pine(a)gmail.com <mailto:wiki.pine@gmail.com>> wrote: Hi Pax, My understanding is that WMF is doing a strategic review of Wikimania. If that is correct, considerations like the ones you raise about location could be included in the scope of that review. I'm pinging Ellie with the hope that she can provide information about the status of WMF's thinking about Wikimania, perhaps in a new thread. Wikimania involves significant amounts of time and money, and I am hoping that WMF will develop ways to align Wikimania with WMF and community strategic goals.

Ellie Young

9:39 p.m.

New subject: [Wikimedia-l] LGBT+ safety considerations for conference venues

Yes we are doing a review and I can vouch that issues like this will always be a part of the criteria when selecting a venue. In most of the recent Wikimanias the selection committee and WMF have included the security of our LGBT community as one of the criteria when considering bids. Another critical issue that you mention below when deciding what to do for future Wikimanias is whether the conference in its present form (program, location, etc.) is serving the community and WMF. That is a longer conversation that I hope we can continue to have and make some progress in the near future. Ellie On Sun, Oct 16, 2016 at 10:26 AM, Pine W <wiki.pine(a)gmail.com> wrote:

...

Hello all. I had a positive experience at WikiConference North America last weekend, where I gave a talk on transgender issues and Wikipedia.[1] I'm posting because there's an active discussion in Wikipedia Weekly on Facebook about choosing a host country for Wikimania 2018.[2] I am concerned that some of the suggestions are not taking into account the safety of LGBT+ people; not just those attending the conference, but also those living in the host country. As a queer trans atheist in a same-sex marriage, there are a number of places where I am considered a criminal for just existing or going about my daily routine. This applies to some parts of the U.S. as well, by the way; I won't be visiting North Carolina as long as it's illegal for me to use the men's restroom there. Please keep these considerations in mind when planning meetups and conferences. Thank you. - Pax aka Funcrunch [1] http://funcrunch.org/blog/2016/10/12/making-connections-at-w ikiconference-north-america/ [2] https://www.facebook.com/groups/wikipediaweekly/permalink/11 14259788621851/ -- Pax Ahimsa Gethen | http://funcrunch.org _______________________________________________ Wikimedia-l mailing list, guidelines at: https://meta.wikimedia.org/wik i/Mailing_lists/Guidelines New messages to: Wikimedia-l(a)lists.wikimedia.org Unsubscribe: https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimedia-l, <mailto:wikimedia-l-request@lists.wikimedia.org?subject=unsubscribe>

-- Ellie Young Events Manager Wikimedia Foundation eyoung(a)wikimedia.org c. 510 701 8649

Pine W

10:10 p.m.

New subject: [Wikimedia-l] LGBT+ safety considerations for conference venues

Thanks Ellie. On the topic of event safety, I am wondering if there is a standard checklist that WMF uses when narrowing potential sites for Wikimanias and if you could make that checklist public. Perhaps it is public already but I don't know where to find it. Regarding Wikimania goals and strategy, I'd like to suggest that WMF take a look at what our friends in WMDE have done with the Wikimedia Conference to increase focus on specific topics and to make conference outcomes a bit clearer and more measurable. I also like that WMDE devotes significant staff support to the conference, which decreases the burden on volunteers; I would like to see a similar shift for Wikimania so the event is less dependent on heroic efforts from volunteers. I realize that there is financial cost involved with increased staff support for conferences; this is one area in which increased expenditure makes sense to me. I look forward to hearing about further developments. Thanks, Pine

Philip Kopetzky

18 Oct 18 Oct

9:24 a.m.

New subject: [Wikimedia-l] LGBT+ safety considerations for conference venues

Did I miss something or why are we now discussing solutions to problems that we haven't even started to discuss yet? Have we or the "committee" come up with any ideas on what and who Wikimania should be for before rushing headlong into planning 2018? On 18 October 2016 at 00:10, Pine W <wiki.pine(a)gmail.com> wrote:

...

Ellie Young

3:57 p.m.

New subject: [Wikimedia-l] LGBT+ safety considerations for conference venues

On Mon, Oct 17, 2016 at 3:10 PM, Pine W <wiki.pine(a)gmail.com> wrote:

...

This is what we were using for the past few Wikimanias. It is public. I reference it in the recent posting as well. I will be updating this since we are no longer doing the competitive bidding process but it does have a lot of information and is pretty accurate. https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimania_2016_judging_criteria Regarding Wikimania goals and strategy, I'd like to suggest that WMF take a

...

look at what our friends in WMDE have done with the Wikimedia Conference to increase focus on specific topics and to make conference outcomes a bit clearer and more measurable.

WMF funds with a grant this conference and works closely with WMDE. There was a proposal a couple of years ago to have a paid program and events coordinator who would provide continuity year to year and liaise with other conferences/groups. There is also paid meeting planner as well as staff support from the WMDE itself.

...

I also like that WMDE devotes significant staff support to the conference, which decreases the burden on volunteers; I would like to see a similar shift for Wikimania so the event is less dependent on heroic efforts from volunteers. I realize that there is financial cost involved with increased staff support for conferences; this is one area in which increased expenditure makes sense to me.

We started that in London and Mexico City Wikimania with my position and a paid local coordinator (Esino Lario was an exception where the local team received a grant and handled pretty much everything.)

...

I look forward to hearing about further developments. Thanks, Pine _______________________________________________ Wikimania-l mailing list Wikimania-l(a)lists.wikimedia.org https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimania-l

-- Ellie Young Events Manager Wikimedia Foundation eyoung(a)wikimedia.org c. 510 701 8649

2748

days inactive

2750

days old

wikimania-l@lists.wikimedia.org

Manage subscription

6 comments

5 participants

tags (0)

participants (5)

Amir Ladsgroup
cs
Ellie Young
Philip Kopetzky
Pine W