Mark Williamson wrote:
I personally object to the decision of the jury and hope the location is changed and the decision overturned on the following basis:
Safety of conference participants, namely transgendered and transsexual individuals. Lesbian, gay, and bisexual individuals are at a significantly lower level of risk.
The risk for T. individuals is so great that it would be totally unsafe for them to enter the country at all.
This is not a matter of boycotting a country because we disagree with its politics, this is a matter of not holding a conference in a country because we cannot ensure the safety of ALL participants.
Just because you are not transgendered or transsexual yourself does not mean it is not your responsibility to ensure that people who wish to participate who ARE are not as safe as possible.
Bye bye my plans for a Wikimania in Bogotá. There is a very small risk, but certainly not null, that any people who want to participate would face unsafety conditions.
It was a nice idea, though.
-- Carlos Th