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.
It also means no more wikimania in the United States as it has the
highest murder rate in the world ..... higher than Bogota ;)