<div dir="ltr"><div>As a gay man, I was considering attending SOTM 2024, but I'm having reservations after reading what Aimee and Amanda have brought up.</div><div><br></div><div>The bid for SOTM 2024 put forward by OSM Kenya [1] has the following paragraph:</div><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0px 0px 0px 0.8ex;border-left:1px solid rgb(204,204,204);padding-left:1ex"><div><p>Nairobi has a more progressive outlook compared to other regions in
the country, and there is a growing LGBTQ+ community and support
organisations within the city. Nairobi is a multicultural city, with
people from all over the world calling it home. Being a major economic
and commercial center in Kenya, the city attracts people from all over
the world. This gives the city its diversity and unique features making
it one of the best and most tourist connection hubs in Africa.
Nairobi also serves as a host to several international and regional
conferences, conventions and seminars and boasts of a zero-tolerance
policy on discrimination, harassment or any form of mistreatment. This
includes conferences like the Internet Governance Forum in 2023, the
United Nations Environment Assembly in 2022 and the International
Conference on Population and Development in 2019.
</p><p>In relation to the local LGBTQ+ laws, in 2023, the Supreme Court
of Kenya ruled that the National Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission
(NGLHRC) must be allowed to officially register as a non-governmental
organization allowing for the community to associate freely. These
rulings are a major victory for the LGBTQ+ community in Kenya and are
also a significant step forward for human rights in Kenya.</p></div></blockquote><div></div><div>I appreciate the time and effort the OSM Kenya team put into their bid, and I'm sure their heart is in the right place regarding LGBT rights. However, I would like more context from the team here, considering the presence of anti-LGBT legislation in the country.<br></div><div><br></div><div>Does Equaldex's assessment [2] of LGBT legal rights and public opinion in Kenya match your understanding of the country?</div><div><br></div><div>Are anti-LGBT laws enforced in Kenya? If so, how? Are they enforced uniformly across the country, in both rural and urban areas?</div><div><br></div><div>Is public opinion different towards visiting LGBT foreigners vs. LGBT locals? If so, how?</div><div><br></div><div>If I visit Nairobi, how likely is it that I will experience harassment or discrimination, whether by ordinary citizens or legal authorities?<br></div><div><br></div><div>[1] <a href="https://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/State_of_the_Map_2024/Call_for_venues/Nairobi#Is_it_a_LGBT_friendly_space">https://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/State_of_the_Map_2024/Call_for_venues/Nairobi#Is_it_a_LGBT_friendly_space</a>?</div><div>[2] <a href="https://www.equaldex.com/region/kenya">https://www.equaldex.com/region/kenya</a></div><div><br></div></div><br><div class="gmail_quote"><div dir="ltr" class="gmail_attr">On Mon, Aug 14, 2023 at 2:02 PM Federica Gaspari <<a href="mailto:federica.gaspari@live.it">federica.gaspari@live.it</a>> wrote:<br></div><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0px 0px 0px 0.8ex;border-left:1px solid rgb(204,204,204);padding-left:1ex"><div class="msg5975364001420868495">
<div style="overflow-wrap: break-word;" lang="IT">
<div class="m_5975364001420868495WordSection1">
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:"Courier New"">Dear all,<u></u><u></u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:"Courier New""><u></u> <u></u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:"Courier New"" lang="EN-GB">Get ready to meet and connect with old and new mappy friends from the global OpenStreetMap community again!<u></u><u></u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:"Courier New"" lang="EN-GB"><u></u> <u></u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:"Courier New"" lang="EN-GB">The State of the Map Organising Committee is thrilled to officially announce that the global conference of the OpenStreetMap
community, State of the Map (SotM), will be making its way to Nairobi, Kenya from September 6th-8th 2024! This landmark event will bring together passionate mappers, data enthusiasts, technologists, and community members from all corners of the globe to celebrate
the spirit of collaboration and open mapping.<u></u><u></u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:"Courier New"" lang="EN-GB"><u></u> <u></u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:"Courier New"" lang="EN-GB">Following the good feedback for State of the Map 2022 Firenze, the upcoming State of the Map 2024 will once again be held in
a hybrid format. Building on the valuable lessons and experiences from the previous events, the SotM Organising Committee is committed to making this edition even more accessible to everyone who wishes to partake in this grand celebration of open mapping,
sharing passionate voices with the entire community.<u></u><u></u></span></p>
<pre><span lang="EN-GB"><u></u> <u></u></span></pre>
<pre><span lang="EN-GB">Learn more about the SotM 2024 announcement on the OpenStreetMap blog: <a href="https://blog.openstreetmap.org/2023/08/14/announcing-state-of-the-map-2024-september-6-to-8-2024-join-us-in-nairobi-and-online/" target="_blank">https://blog.openstreetmap.org/2023/08/14/announcing-state-of-the-map-2024-september-6-to-8-2024-join-us-in-nairobi-and-online/</a><u></u><u></u></span></pre>
<pre><span lang="EN-GB"><u></u> <u></u></span></pre>
<pre><span lang="EN-GB">More details about the organization will be soon communicated.<u></u><u></u></span></pre>
<pre><span lang="EN-GB"><u></u> <u></u></span></pre>
<pre><span lang="EN-GB">Federica Gaspari on behalf of the SotM Organising Committee<u></u><u></u></span></pre>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:"Courier New"" lang="EN-GB"><u></u> <u></u></span></p>
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