[Diversity-talk] [OSM-talk] [HOT] LGBTQ people at HOT Summit?

Paul Johnson baloo at ursamundi.org
Fri Feb 23 22:49:13 UTC 2018


Why not cancel it for Tanzania entirely and hold it in a less hostile
place?  They clearly don't want our money, why spend it there?

On Feb 23, 2018 15:10, "Rory McCann" <rory at technomancy.org> wrote:

> Hi
>
> I always presumed this was caused by people not considering it, rather
> than active malice. Straight privilege, eh? :)
>
> Yes there are limitations with holding events in NA/Europe, both legal
> (immigration systems) and practical (higher relative cost). SotMs'
> scholarship programmes are attempt to acknowledge and address this. And
> we should do better, and keep these barrier(s) in mind. There are
> countries in the global south, in Africa, where homosexuality is legal BTW.
>
> Some concrete, constructive suggestions:
>
> Inform any/all LGBTQ attendees that they need to go to Narnia (i.e. deep
> in the closet). This might be impossible for some (e.g. trans people).
> People should consider locking down their social media accounts, and
> consider what apps or photos they have on their phones. One run in with
> the police, and they look at your phone, and it's game over. (I didn't
> do this when I went to Tanzania, but I did when considering going to Iran).
>
> First option: Make this a no-LGBTQ event. Remove references to "sexual
> orientation" and "gender identity" from the CoC. Allow homophobic and
> transphobic harassment/abuse/insults at the event.
>
> Second option: Try to make this event as LGBTQ-friendly /as possible/.
> Reword the CoC to demote "sexuality" & "gender identity" sections to
> reflect this, and acknowledge that not all (homo/transphobic) incidents
> are actionable. i.e. Allow certain amounts of homophobic or transphobic
> insults/etc at the event.
>
> Your CoC already says police will only be contacted if the complainant
> wants it, that's good. I suggest another rule: "Don't report any
> attendees (& friends/family) to the police for LGBTQ activity"[0].
>
> In the last few months, the Tanzanian government[1][2], and police, have
> announced a crackdown on gay rights, and they're implementing it.
> Arresting LGBTQ people[3][4], and owners of venues[5], which host
> pro-LGBTQ events, and shutting down NGOs which promote LGBTQ
> rights[6][7].
>
> Can you trust the venue to not inform the police? If there's a dispute
> and you want to remove someone from the event, what will any local
> security staff, or local volunteers, do with those threats hanging over
> them? Be conscience that if you get the police involved in any incident,
> the accused might points out a homosexual in the mist to deflect
> attention & discredit your organization.
>
> LGBTQ people can go to Tanzania. But the organizers ability to enforce a
> CoC in this area is severely limited. This is why you cannot continue to
> call it a (LGBTQ) safe space.
>
> Good luck.
>
> Rory
>
> --
>
> [0] Specific wording. A general "don't call police" enables abusers
> https://mjg59.dreamwidth.org/46791.html
>
> [1] 'Seeds of hate' sown as Tanzania starts LGBT crackdown. The
> Guardian, 8 August 2016
> https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/aug/08/seeds-of-
> hate-sown-as-tanzania-starts-lgbt-crackdown
>
> [2] Tanzania suspends HIV/AIDS programs in new crackdown on gays.
> Chicago Tribune, 23 November 2016
> http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/ct-tanzania-
> crackdown-on-gays-20161123-story.html
>
> [3] Lesbianism lands four people in Mwanza court. The Citizen, 9
> December 2017
> http://www.thecitizen.co.tz/News/Lesbianism-lands-four-
> people-in-Mwanza-court/1840340-4220972-11ewf0x/index.html
>
> [4] Police arrest woman in Tanzania over video of same-sex kiss.
> Reuters, 2 December 2017.
> https://www.reuters.com/article/us-tanzania-lgbt/police-arrest-woman-in-
> tanzania-over-video-of-same-sex-kiss-idUSKBN1DW0FP
>
> [5] Zanzibar police nab 20 over homosexuality. Daily News, 17 September
> 2017
> https://www.dailynews.co.tz/index.php/home-news/53017-
> zanzibar-police-nab-20-over-homosexuality
>
> [6] State suspends NGO supporting gay marriages. Daily News, 21 October
> 2017
> https://www.dailynews.co.tz/index.php/home-news/53703-
> state-suspends-ngo-supporting-gay-marriages
>
> [7] Nchemba: We’ve no room for gays. Daily News, 26 June 2017,
> https://www.dailynews.co.tz/index.php/home-news/51447-
> nchemba-we-ve-no-room-for-gays
>
>
> On 16/02/18 22:55, Rachel Levine wrote:
> > Dear Rory,
> >
> >
> > *
> >
> > Thank you for bringing up this important issue. We recognize the very
> > legitimate concern you raised and deeply regret any challenges this may
> > present to some in our community. This was not our intention.
> >
> >
> > When our working group made the decision, we were proud to announce the
> > first ever HOT Summit at one of our project sites, and the first ever
> > HOT Summit in Africa. One of the primary reasons for the decision was
> > inclusivity: with a number of our colleagues and community members being
> > unfairly denied visas in the last two years, this was a unique
> > opportunity to rotate the Summit to a non-North America/Europe location.
> > Our goal was simply to welcome so many of our friends and community
> > members who may have been previously left out; at the same time
> > fostering the growth and expansion of OpenStreetMap and FOSS in Africa.
> >
> >
> > Community input was requested at all stages of the process as we began
> > meeting more than three months ago. This included open group meetings
> > and a community survey in which over 110 people participated.
> > Unfortunately, this is the first time the issue has been raised and
> > highlights the importance of increasing diversity of all kinds in the
> > HOT and FOSS4G communities and Working Groups.
> >
> >
> > We will take the following actions based on your message:
> >
> >   *
> >
> >     Review the code of conduct to make sure it communicates correctly
> >     (we welcome you and others to help with this and/or join our Working
> >     Group)
> >
> >   *
> >
> >     Add specific travel guidance to the website on safety and security
> >
> >   *
> >
> >     Make a commitment to ensure this is part of the discussion when
> >     deciding the location for all of our future Summits, invite others
> >     to join and help discuss
> >
> >
> > Again, we welcome help and participation from all community members in
> > making the event as inclusive as we, as a combined FOSS4G and HOT
> > community, possibly can. The joint vision behind locating the Summit in
> > Africa is indeed inclusivity and opening opportunities for traditionally
> > underrepresented groups. HOT strives for equal opportunities and
> > inclusivity in all our projects and activities. If you’d like to join
> > Summit Working Group, you can do so here:
> > https://groups.google.com/a/hotosm.org/d/forum/summit
> >
> >
> > We are also happy to answer questions from any individuals who may not
> > want to message a public list. Please reach out to summit at hotosm.org
> > <mailto:summit at hotosm.org>.
> >
> > - The HOT Summit Working Group and FOSS4G 2018 Organizing Committee
> >
> > *
> >
> >
> >
> >         On 16 Feb 2018 11:10 am, "Rory McCann"
> >         <rory at technomancy.org<mailto:rory at technomancy.org>> wrote:____
> >
> >             Hi,
> >
> >             So the HOT Summit is in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. But, erm,
> >             it's illegal
> >             to be gay in Tanzania[1]. Travel advice from the UK[2] and
> US[3]
> >             governments repeats that: "Homosexuality is not tolerated".
> >
> >             The code of conduct for this conference[4] is (mostly)
> >             excellent, it
> >             covers "sexual orientation". But that's impossible in a
> >             country with
> >             such laws.
> >
> >             (IMO) this conference cannot be a safe space for LGBTQ
> >             people[5]. We
> >             have the strange situation of HOT saying "This is a safe
> >             space for LGBTQ
> >             people, but follow the law which makes your existence
> >             illegal"[6]. I am
> >             flabbergasted at how HOT can think this can be a safe space,
> >             and HOT
> >             runs the risk of looking like they don't know what a safe
> >             space is...
> >
> >             There's nothing wrong (IMO) with a CoC adapted to local
> >             laws[7]. But
> >             please be honest. The conference venue is homophobic. HOT
> >             should delete
> >             the "sexual orientation" parts from your CoC. SotM Africa
> >             2017 in Uganda
> >             had a similar CoC[8], and similar laws. There is talk about
> >             (good) CoCs
> >             being mandatory for events, and if this is what passes as a
> >             CoC, then
> >             we've already given up.
> >
> >             There's an argument about how far to go ("This country's
> >             anti-discrimination law doesn't go as far as my home
> >             country! Racist
> >             country!"), but I think there should be *a* line. Let's talk
> >             about that.
> >             "Illegal to be gay or trans[9]" is (IMO) a good line for
> >             LGBTQ issues.
> >
> >             It looks like limiting LGBTQ attendance wasn't a deal
> >             breaker for HOT,
> >             or that diversity/inclusivity just isn't thought about much,
> >             which is sad.
> >
> >             --
> >             Rory
> >
> >             [1] Technically same-sex sex is illegal, and so is having a
> >             same-sex
> >             spouse
> >             https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LGBT_rights_in_Tanzania<https:
> //en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LGBT_rights_in_Tanzania>
> >             [2]
> >             https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/tanzania/local-
> laws-and-customs<https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/
> tanzania/local-laws-and-customs>
> >             [3]
> >             https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/
> international-travel/International-Travel-Country-
> Information-Pages/Tanzania.html<https://travel.state.gov/
> content/travel/en/international-travel/International-Travel-Country-
> Information-Pages/Tanzania.html>
> >             [4]
> >             http://2018.foss4g.org/code-of-conduct.html<http://2018.
> foss4g.org/code-of-conduct.html>
> >             [5] Same-sex sex is illegal in TZ, along with having a same
> >             sex spouse.
> >             I haven't see anything on trans laws, but I think we can
> guess.
> >             [6]
> >             https://twitter.com/hotosm/status/964252343318532096<http
> s://twitter.com/hotosm/status/964252343318532096>
> >             [7] I propose: "If the event covers a region where it's
> legal to
> >             be gay, then the event cannot be held in a place where it's
> >             illegal to
> >             be gay." This makes SotM Africa (or global SotM) in Uganda
> >             wrong, but SotM Tanzania in Tanzania OK. "SotM East Africa"
> >             in Uganda would be OK.
> >             [8]
> >             https://web.archive.org/web/20170710101126/http://
> sotmafrica.org:80/registration/code-of-conduct/<
> https://web.archive.org/web/20170710101126/http:/sotmafrica.org:80/
> registration/code-of-conduct/>
> >             [9] "illegal to be trans" is often laws against
> >             "crossdressing". This is
> >             happening now in Aceh, Indonesia, and the modern Gay Pride
> >             parades
> >             sprung from such a law in New York, USA in 1969.
> >
> >             (I've been to Tanzania a few times, and it's a great
> >             country, Dar &
> >             Zanzibar are wonderful tourist destinations, and I totally
> >             recommend the
> >             area. But LGBTQ folk need to be careful.)
> >
> >
> >             On 14/02/18 01:49, Tyler Radford wrote:____
> >
> >                 Dear HOT Community,
> >
> >
> >                 You are invited to the 2018 HOT Summit at FOSS4G, August
> >                 29-31in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania!
> >
> >
> >                 This year we again had a great selection of potential
> >                 locations for the HOT Summit and were faced with a hard
> >                 decision as we were very keen to have a joint event with
> >                 both the OpenStreetMap and FOSS4G communities. As a
> >                 first time chance to hold the Summit in a HOT project
> >                 location, and through a wonderful partnership we are
> >                 pleased to bring the HOT Summit to FOSS4G this year. HOT
> >                 will lead the “Widening Access and Humanitarian Mapping”
> >                 conference track. We welcome you to Tanzania -- home to
> >                 our flagship Ramani Huria and Data Zetu projects.
> >
> >
> >                 The Free and Open Source Software for Geospatial
> >                 (FOSS4G) conference is the yearly gathering of the OSGeo
> >                 community and this year they are looking to bring impact
> >                 stories to their audience. With humanitarian and
> >                 disaster response use of FOSS, especially in regards to
> >                 geospatial, the HOT community brings an amazing showcase
> >                 to an already impressive conference program. We can’t
> >                 wait to see the collaboration between these open
> >                 communities.
> >
> >
> >                 Key Dates:
> >
> >                    *
> >
> >                      Coming Soon: Discounted Ticket Sales for HOT
> community
> >
> >                    *
> >
> >                      March 21: Presentation Submission
> >
> >                 <http://2018.foss4g.org/programme.html<http://2018.
> foss4g.org/programme.html>>Deadline
> >
> >                    *
> >
> >                      August 27-28: FOSS4G Pre-Conference Workshops
> >
> >                      ​​
> >
> >                    *
> >
> >                      August 29-31: FOSS4G and HOT Summit Main Conference
> >
> >                    *
> >
> >                      September 1-2: FOSS4G Code Sprints and Community
> Events
> >
> >
> >                 Stay tuned to http://2018.foss4g.orgformore information
> >                 on FOSS4G and the HOT Summit.
> >
> >
> >                 --The 2018 HOT Summit Working Group
> >
> >                 *
> >                 <https://donate.hotosm.org>
> >
> >
> >                 _______________________________________________
> >                 HOT mailing list
> >                 HOT at openstreetmap.org<mailto:HOT at openstreetmap.org>
> >                 https://lists.openstreetmap.org/listinfo/hot<https://
> lists.openstreetmap.org/listinfo/hot>____
> >
> >
> >
> >             _______________________________________________
> >             HOT mailing list
> >             HOT at openstreetmap.org<mailto:HOT at openstreetmap.org>
> >             https://lists.openstreetmap.org/listinfo/hot<https://
> lists.openstreetmap.org/listinfo/hot>____
> >
> >         _______________________________________________
> >         HOT mailing list
> >         HOT at openstreetmap.org<mailto:HOT at openstreetmap.org>
> >         https://lists.openstreetmap.org/listinfo/hot<https://
> lists.openstreetmap.org/listinfo/hot>____
> >
> >
>
> _______________________________________________
> talk mailing list
> talk at openstreetmap.org
> https://lists.openstreetmap.org/listinfo/talk
>
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