Friendly space policies

Friendly space policies are guidelines for in-person and virtual Wikimedia community gatherings which advises that all participants seek to encourage a positive and constructive experience for all other participants. A related concept is a code of conduct, which is a policy guiding behavior in all contexts, and not only at in-person events as a friendly space policy does.

General friendly space policy for Wikimedia events

The Wikimedia community is dedicated to providing a welcoming experience for everyone, regardless of gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, disability, appearance, race, religion, or preferred free license (and not limited to those aspects). We do not tolerate harassment of event participants. Participants violating these rules may be asked to leave the event at the discretion of the event organizers.

Definition of harassment

Harassment includes:

• Offensive verbal comments related to gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, disability, physical appearance, body size, race, ethnicity, political affiliation, or religion.
• Deliberate intimidation, stalking, unwelcome following, harassing photography or recording, sustained disruption of talks or other events.
• Non-contextual display of sexual images, inappropriate physical contact, and unwelcome sexual attention.

Participants asked to stop such behavior are expected to comply immediately.

Corrective actions

As Wikimedia community events are managed by volunteers, event organizers depend on all attendees for help in maintaining the Friendly Space Policy. If you are being harassed, notice that someone else is being harassed, or have any other concerns, please contact a member of event staff immediately.

If organizers are concerned about the conduct of an individual, or receive a complaint, they may take action appropriate to the situation. This can include a private warning to the person concerned; in more serious cases it may be necessary to ask them to leave. In cases of stalking, event staff may be able to provide escorts.

Individuals with a pattern of harassing behavior, or who threaten to harass individuals or disrupt an event, may be asked not to attend.

Any concerns with the implementation of this policy should be raised with the organizers of the event in the first instance, or with the larger Wikimedia community as desired.

Contact Information

To help attendees stay safe and get in touch when there is an emergency, it is useful to list the following contact numbers:

• The event organizers (ideally a 24-h number)
• Local hotel/venue security
• Local law enforcement
• Local sexual assault hotline
• Local emergency and non-emergency medical services
• Local taxi company

See also

Similar policies for particular types of events:

• WMF: The Wikimedia Foundation’s friendly space policy
• Amical Wikimedia: Protocol contra agressions i assetjament (Catalan)
• WMAT: Wikimedia Österreich's event guidelines
• WMAU: Wikimedia Australia Safe Space Policy
• WMCH: Wikimedia CH Respectful behavior space policy
• WMDC: Wikimedia DC friendly space policy
• WMID: Wikimedia Indonesia's friendly space policy; English version
• WMNYC: Wikimedia New York City friendly space policy
• WMUK: Wikimedia UK's Safe Space Policy
• WMAM: Wikimedia Armenia's friendly space policy (Armenian)
• WMSE: Wikimedia Sveriges Riktlinjer för inkluderande möten (en)
• WMPL: Wikimedia Polska - Safe Space Policy
• WMNL: Wikimedia Nederland: Friendly Space Policy (Dutch) (English)

Related policies and pages:

• Keeping events safe
• Event Ban policy
• Code of conduct for Wikimedia technical spaces, including events

Online policies for friendly space:

• Grants:Friendly space expectations