Wikimedia LGBT/2021-03-23

This online meetup is open to all members of the LGBT+ User Group, and is intended as an opportunity to discuss shared opportunities, challenges, and issues.

  • Date: Tuesday March 23 at 1:00 pm EDT/ 17:00 UTC
  • See your local time here
  • Location: Zoom here

Please help us take rolling notes - Wikimedia LGBT etherpad (it will be transferred to wiki (below) after every meeting)

The Wikimedia Friendly Space Policy and Universal Code of Conduct will be followed for this meeting.

Agenda

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Please add your agenda item and who will lead its discussion:

  1. Welcome, Reminder of Friendly Space and UCoC, Introductions, and Agenda Review (FULBERT)
  2. QW 2021 User Group Working Days gathering (April 23-25, 2021 online) (FULBERT, RachelWex)
    1. Here is the working program
    2. Here is the working Meta page
  3. Gift of VPN accounts for the user group (Fæ)
  4. Call for UCOC Phase 2 participants (RachelWex)

Planning to Attend

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Attendees

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  1. Jeffrey - user:FULBERT editor in New York
  2. Christoph - from Berlin, been around a long time
  3. Rachel - user:RachelWex in Minnesota, representative of this user organization
  4. Paulo - nice to join again!
  5. Fae - been around a while
  6. Lane user:bluerasberry in Charlottesville Virginia
  7. Scott - User:Politanvm based in Arlington Virginia,
  8. Z

Minutes

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  1. Welcome, Reminder of Friendly Space and UCoC, Introductions, and Agenda Review (FULBERT)
    1. Jeffrey introduces the agenda
    2. we have a code of conduct
  2. QW 2021 User Group Working Days gathering (April 23-25, 2021 online) (FULBERT, RachelWex)
    1. event page: QW2021
    2. recap: there was a cancelled LGBT+ conference during COVID summer 2020
    3. now we are reusing these funds to have an online mini-conference in May 2021, after not having done anything else with the funds
    4. new direction: instead of having an open conference for everyone, this new event will be "working days" for experienced Wiki LGBT+ contributors to do strategic planning about LGBT+ organization in wiki
    5. there is a budget planned for all this, including for facilitation, honorariums for some tasks which are too complicated as typical volunteer activity but also for which we want to have volunteers manage
    6. there is a budget for care, such as child care or elder care, for anyone who wants to participate but needs to lower the barrier to access
    7. tomorrow 24 March 2021 there will be event announcement of final days. Initially there was a plan to do event in mid-April, 3 weeks away, but for need of time the event will be finally scheduled for May
  3. Gift of VPN accounts for the user group (Fæ)
    1. Fae got gift of 10 free NordVPN accounts for Wiki LGBT+
    2. NordVPN is not a sponsor or partner; this is just a gift to a charity without requirement or obligation
    3. Wiki LGBT+ is not recommending any tools; we are just considering this to be nice gift of a popular service
    4. why we need this: there are participants in our events who want suggestions for how they can be more anonymous
    5. we do not know what security we need and there is not a Wikimedia-wide user recommendation, but this is a popular service for protecting anonymity
    6. in this case, Fae approached the organization and asked for the gift to try this out with our community
    7. there are limits to edit in Wikimedia projects when using a VPN
    8. note: there is popular media attention in the news right now about VPNs being compromised. NordVPN is not reported to be part of this
    9. anyone wanting to edit Wikipedia with a VPN should request a "global block exemption"
    10. how to access these accounts: write to Fae and ask
    11. if we run out, Claudia from WM Austria suggested that we use the funds to get more
    12. pricing: https://nordvpn.com/pricing/ $US60/year
    13. noted in 2021 annual report Wikimedia LGBT+/2021
  4. Call for UCOC Phase 2 participants (RachelWex)
    1. Rachel participated in phase 1
    2. Paulo expressed an interest in participating as well has past experience in recognizing harassment and conduct issues in the Wikimedia platform
    3. discussion of how to participate:
    4. this community group appreciates briefings or updates of how the conversation is going
    5. Rachel: the code of conduct was 100% written by volunteers with most of it written by Rachel Wexelbaum
    6. the Wikimedia Foundation board did not make significant changes to the text that Rachel submitted
    7. the format of the committee is as a workgroup
    8. there are lots of people who want to claim ownership of the document and process. While the WMF hired some people to faciliate the process, the text came from the volunteer working group
    9. Paulo wants to do it; Rachel supports as previous representative
    10. Paulo advocates for transparency in Wikimedia community leadership such as administrators and bureaucrats
    11. many of the movement strategy activities have been advisory, but this one is implementation
    12. Paulo: "I would be happy with an advisory role, but more happy with a work role"
    13. Christoph: if you are selected for this group, then read the background material prior to the work
    14. Rachel: at the last round of production, I was the only person who read the suggested reading materials. There were reports from focus groups and collections of prior documentation. Perhaps others could not read so much English text easily. I recommended that the WMF staff summarize the information to make it easier to read.
  5. Roles for Queering Wikipedia
    1. These roles will need a brief description.
    2. Registration (technology, dates, invitations) (Claudia?)
    3. Creation of a Meta Page (draft page first) (Fae, Jeffrey)
    4. Evaluation / Analysis (Rachel & Jeffrey to draft)
    5. Safe Space Monitors (Owen to draft)
    6. Translators (Rachel and Claudia)
    7. Bilingual breakout room facilitators (Rachel and Claudia)
    8. Technology Support / Security (Owen to draft)
    9. Presenter - User Group History / Accomplishments / What we have learned
    10. Presenter / Discussant - Wikimedia Movement “Decision Points”
    11. Creator - Networking & “Fun Events”
  6. Wikimedia Foundation board statement: "we want half male, half female"
    1. Wikimedia Foundation routinely excludes mention of trans in gender discussions, and Wiki LGBT+ advocates for inclusion
    2. Wikimedia LGBT+ advocates for inclusion
    3. there was a recent argument about this in the Wiki LGBT+ telegram; there is some documentation of outcome
    4. How can this community better advocate for itself?
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