[Foundation-l] [Wikimania-l] Wikimania 2008 will happen in Alexandria, Egypt

[Mark Williamson]

It's not whether or not there is a risk; it's all about risk assessment.

We cannot minimize risks simply because it is to a certain group.
Surely if all humans were at the same risk as transgendered
individuals are, people would care more??

As far as I can tell, Bogotá is not the best place to hold a
conference... Columbia is not what I would call "safe", but that is
relative. It's not as if everybody who goes there dies... but then,
more people who go there end up not coming back than, say, the
Maldives or Fiji. I think political stability is an important factor
in selecting a location, thus we won't have one in Myanmar (even if
they would let us, which I sort of doubt) or Somalia, and it is less
desirable to have one in Colombia than Costa Rica...

You may characterize the risk as very small, but it is all relative. I
have never personally been to Colombia, but risk of violence against
GLBTQ people is larger there than many other places. It may be "small"
but not insignificant.

Mark

On 10/10/2007, Carlos Thompson <chlewey at cable.net.co> wrote:
> 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
>
>
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