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    <p>Folks,</p>
    <p>Coming back and capturing our thoughts on this topic. I've added
      a section in our FOSS4G Handbook:</p>
    <p><a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="https://wiki.osgeo.org/wiki/FOSS4G_Handbook#Selecting_locations_which_align_with_OSGeo_principles">https://wiki.osgeo.org/wiki/FOSS4G_Handbook#Selecting_locations_which_align_with_OSGeo_principles</a></p>
    <p><i>We should select locations where OSGeo principles and Code of
        Conduct align with the laws and practices of the location where
        the conference is being held.</i><i><br>
      </i><i>At FOSS4G 2018 in Tanzania we discovered that local laws
        decree that same-sex sexual acts are crimes punishable by the
        state. This is contrary to the OSGeo Code of Conduct and is
        something we should try to avoid when selecting future
        conference venues.</i><br>
    </p>
    Feel free to suggest alternative words if I haven't captured our
    thoughts correctly.<br>
    <br>
    <div class="moz-cite-prefix">On 10/3/18 5:44 am, Cameron Shorter
      wrote:<br>
    </div>
    <blockquote type="cite"
      cite="mid:c87fb3a6-be69-3b5f-3460-c90fc7335cba@gmail.com">
      <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8">
      <p>Mark and others on this list,</p>
      <p>I'm seeing significant agreement here in promoting diversity
        within OSGeo. I encourage anyone who feels strongly about this
        should consider starting to craft revised text for OSGeo policy
        documents. Until that happens, we are all talk, no action, no
        impact.<br>
      </p>
      <p>The process: Write draft changes to our policy documents,
        invite review, get rough consensus on wording, get the
        conference committee to vote to accept the proposed changes,
        update the official documents.</p>
      <p>Documents that I think need reworking are:</p>
      <p><a class="moz-txt-link-freetext"
          href="https://svn.osgeo.org/osgeo/foss4g/rfp/"
          moz-do-not-send="true">https://svn.osgeo.org/osgeo/foss4g/rfp/</a><br>
      </p>
      <p><a class="moz-txt-link-freetext"
          href="https://wiki.osgeo.org/wiki/FOSS4G_Handbook"
          moz-do-not-send="true">https://wiki.osgeo.org/wiki/FOSS4G_Handbook</a></p>
      <p>Warm regards, Cameron<br>
      </p>
      <br>
      <div class="moz-cite-prefix">On 8/3/18 1:16 am, Mark Iliffe wrote:<br>
      </div>
      <blockquote type="cite"
        cite="mid:C5206F04-6952-4E92-AAC0-01CF641C11CB@gmail.com">
        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html;
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        Dear María,
        <div class=""><br class="">
        </div>
        <div class="">Thanks for the update on this, we as FOSS4G DLOC
          will follow and further participate with interest.</div>
        <div class=""><br class="">
        </div>
        <div class="">With regard to holding this conversation slowly,
          may I kindly counsel that we proceed as quickly and as openly
          as possible - to be clear, I do not view this as a point of
          debate for Dar es Salaam, but for our community as a whole -
          the ripples of this conversation go far beyond FOSS4G this
          year. </div>
        <div class=""><br class="">
        </div>
        <div class="">The views and their number expressed have
          reinforced my (personal) view that to our credit, we have a
          great appetite for discussion on this within our community
          regarding diversity and inclusion - to proceed slowly in
          limited forums may provide the signal that we are not taking
          this seriously - we know this is <u style="font-weight:
            bold;" class="">not</u> the case!! - but there is a
          difference between fact and perception unfortunately. </div>
        <div class=""><br class="">
        </div>
        <div class="">I am not asking for people to come out of the
          closet to engage in this discussion; Personally, I am not
          LGBT+, however, I have a direct interest in making our
          community to be as inclusive and representative of our world
          as much as possible, this includes those in our community in
          relative and/or absolute poverty (ie. those that utilise QGIS
          to digitise their communities), or from under-represented
          communities - I believe that we can participate in this
          discussion not based on our race, creed, gender, sexual
          orientation but on the basis as we as a community stand weaker
          if one of us is disadvantaged - can we not engage
          independently as a member of humanity working towards
          inclusivity and acceptance, instead of categorising
          ourselves? </div>
        <div class=""><br class="">
        </div>
        <div class="">This maybe a tone deaf view - and if so, please
          accept my humble apologies - but we clearly have a challenge
          here and while we cannot change the laws of any nation that we
          are working on, we can send the message to the OSGeo community
          that we are listening and through the CoC/diversity
          statement/working groups on LGBT+ etc. that <b class=""><u
              class="">YOU ARE WELCOME IN THIS COMMUNITY!</u></b></div>
        <div class=""><b class=""><u class=""><br class="">
            </u></b></div>
        <div class="">This reinforces my personal view that we need to
          ensure that all are kept aware of these discussions -
          accordingly, I kindly request that we keep this in the OSGeo
          discuss board and make the F2F discussions in Bonn accessible
          for all and that the board takes appropriate action to ensure
          that this message is heard loud and clear throughout.</div>
        <div class=""><br class="">
        </div>
        <div class="">Many thanks,</div>
        <div class=""><br class="">
        </div>
        <div class="">Mark</div>
        <div class="">
          <div><br class="">
            <blockquote type="cite" class="">
              <div class="">On 7 Mar 2018, at 02:37, María Arias de
                Reyna <<a href="mailto:delawen@gmail.com" class=""
                  moz-do-not-send="true">delawen@gmail.com</a>>
                wrote:</div>
              <br class="Apple-interchange-newline">
              <div class="">
                <div class="">Dear Mark,<br class="">
                  <br class="">
                  Thank you very much for your email.<br class="">
                  <br class="">
                  I agree we should continue the discussion in the open.
                  Now we have a<br class="">
                  clear view of the current situation from the board
                  (and people<br class="">
                  following that list). A reason why I personally
                  haven't moved this<br class="">
                  quicker more open is because I don't want OSGeo to be
                  responsible of<br class="">
                  people coming out of the closet on the community and
                  then travelling<br class="">
                  to Tanzania and having problems because of that. The
                  risk is very low,<br class="">
                  as you have confirmed, but this is a very sensitive
                  issue in many<br class="">
                  countries. Everyone should be aware of this before
                  starting to point<br class="">
                  personal experiences, especially people coming from
                  privileged<br class="">
                  countries where being LGBT+ is not only legal, but
                  socially accepted.<br class="">
                  <br class="">
                  We have an OSGeo meeting in Bonn very soon and I think
                  that is a<br class="">
                  proper place to discuss this, as it will be face to
                  face and some<br class="">
                  people will be able to discuss this without having to
                  write their<br class="">
                  names anywhere. I agree there should be an LGBT+ group
                  inside OSGeo,<br class="">
                  and maybe we should provide the tools to allow members
                  from sensitive<br class="">
                  countries/personal situations to participate
                  anonymously. (How? I<br class="">
                  don't know yet.) And we should promote also some kind
                  of diversity<br class="">
                  advice group, where all kind of discriminations can be
                  addressed.<br class="">
                  Maybe merge this idea with the CoC team? Maybe a
                  separated dedicated<br class="">
                  team? I don't know.<br class="">
                  <br class="">
                  Thanks for this and if you need some immediate action
                  from the board,<br class="">
                  just let us know.<br class="">
                  <br class="">
                  Regards,<br class="">
                  María.<br class="">
                  <br class="">
                  <br class="">
                  <br class="">
                  <br class="">
                  On Wed, Mar 7, 2018 at 12:11 AM, Mark Iliffe <<a
                    href="mailto:markiliffe@gmail.com" class=""
                    moz-do-not-send="true">markiliffe@gmail.com</a>>
                  wrote:<br class="">
                  <blockquote type="cite" class="">Dear OSGeo Board,<br
                      class="">
                    <br class="">
                    On the 20th of February I wrote in response to a
                    concern raised on LGBT+<br class="">
                    concerns in Dar es Salaam. To this, set out the
                    following four action<br class="">
                    points:<br class="">
                    <br class="">
                    <blockquote type="cite" class="">To help move
                      forward on this, we will 1. Ensure that we provide
                      guidance<br class="">
                      to those in our community on this issue; 2. Seek
                      dialog within our community<br class="">
                      on this issue, I am personally contactable on this
                      and fully welcome any and<br class="">
                      all people who wish to discuss this on a
                      face-to-face (over VC) or any other<br class="">
                      medium that the community would feel better with;
                      3. Recommend that the<br class="">
                      board puts in place guidance for future OSGEO
                      conferences other this issues;<br class="">
                      4. Support the formation of an LGBT+ grouping
                      within OSGEO to better support<br class="">
                      appropriate guidance on this issue.<br class="">
                    </blockquote>
                    <br class="">
                    <br class="">
                    To update on this:<br class="">
                    <br class="">
                    1. We are collaborating with Humanitarian
                    OpenStreetMap Team on this issue,<br class="">
                    to ensure that the response to our mutual
                    communities are in lock-step on<br class="">
                    this issue. Guidance will be published for
                    consultation for the conference<br class="">
                    shortly;<br class="">
                    2. I have reached out to members of the LGBT+
                    community that I know<br class="">
                    personally on a bilateral basis. I would welcome
                    further dialogue with the<br class="">
                    OSGeo LGBT+ community on a bilateral, private basis
                    for people to voice<br class="">
                    their concerns in confidence;<br class="">
                    <br class="">
                    Points 3 and 4 are of specific interest, in the view
                    of the LOC of FOSS4G<br class="">
                    2018, as we can set policy direction for our
                    conference, but have no mandate<br class="">
                    nor mechanism to set policy across OSGeo. To this
                    end, I would formally<br class="">
                    request, in my role of Chair of FOSS4G for the OSGeo
                    Board to provide<br class="">
                    direction to future FOSS4G conferences and to
                    further support and service<br class="">
                    this community within our wider community.<br
                      class="">
                    <br class="">
                    Clearly, there is a desire for LGBT+ to be
                    considered further in our<br class="">
                    community - as noted in the transcript of the
                    previous board meeting [1],<br class="">
                    but I think this needs to be communicated to our
                    wider community - I see the<br class="">
                    discussions on the OSGeo board mailing list, though
                    this may not have the<br class="">
                    widest circulation. I am also available to have a
                    video conference with the<br class="">
                    board, at their earliest possible convenience if
                    such an invitation was<br class="">
                    extended.<br class="">
                    <br class="">
                    Finally, I really want to stress this for our
                    conference in Dar es Salaam<br class="">
                    this year to our community: We want to have the most
                    inclusive conference<br class="">
                    that we can possibly have. In the same way that
                    previous FOSS4G events in<br class="">
                    Boston and North Carolina have demonstrated, our
                    conferences have dealt with<br class="">
                    challenges within the wider legislative framework of
                    their host country, we<br class="">
                    as a community are welcoming to any and all with
                    open arms. We will publish<br class="">
                    guidance for those travelling, and if you still wish
                    to participate but<br class="">
                    cannot come to Dar es Salaam, get in touch with us -
                    we will help you get<br class="">
                    involved! Our FOSS4G will only be successful due to
                    ALL the people in our<br class="">
                    OSGeo community; we are a big and dynamic family -
                    we will reflect and live<br class="">
                    that this year in Dar es Salaam, and I hope in the
                    many years to come.<br class="">
                    <br class="">
                    Best,<br class="">
                    <br class="">
                    Mark<br class="">
                    <br class="">
                    [1] <a
                      href="https://wiki.osgeo.org/wiki/Board_Meeting_2018-03-01"
                      class="" moz-do-not-send="true">https://wiki.osgeo.org/wiki/Board_Meeting_2018-03-01</a><br
                      class="">
                    <br class="">
                    <br class="">
                    ---------- Forwarded message ----------<br class="">
                    From: jorge.dejesus <<a
                      href="mailto:jorge.dejesus@geocat.net" class=""
                      moz-do-not-send="true">jorge.dejesus@geocat.net</a>><br
                      class="">
                    Date: 21 February 2018 at 08:26<br class="">
                    Subject: Re: [OSGeo-Conf] LGBT in Tanzania<br
                      class="">
                    To: <a href="mailto:conference_dev@lists.osgeo.org"
                      class="" moz-do-not-send="true">conference_dev@lists.osgeo.org</a><br
                      class="">
                    <br class="">
                    <br class="">
                    Hi to all<br class="">
                    <br class="">
                    I was following the LGBT  in Tanzania discussion,
                    and I am happy to see the<br class="">
                    question added to the next RfP.<br class="">
                    <br class="">
                    The discussion on LGBT rights and safety requires a
                    bit of common sense, I<br class="">
                    am LGBT it is one part of my live as being OsGEO
                    member is another (one of<br class="">
                    many) part(s), normally these two don't intercept
                    much, personally I think<br class="">
                    this is  why the LGBT community is present in OsGEO
                    but very invisible.<br class="">
                    What?? No LGBT birds of the feather in FOSS4G ???<br
                      class="">
                    <br class="">
                    Having a code of conduct that is non discriminatory,
                    we must take  into<br class="">
                    consideration the rights of minorities and safety of
                    ALL the participants of<br class="">
                    and a OsGEO conference, the LOC have to do their
                    best for the safety.  LOC<br class="">
                    should also informed  participants on what  are the
                    real  problems that<br class="">
                    participants may have to face, then is up to the
                    participants to decide if<br class="">
                    they fell comfortable to to attend the conference.<br
                      class="">
                    <br class="">
                    Again, nice to see this topic discussed and remember
                    these comments are my 2<br class="">
                    cents<br class="">
                    <br class="">
                    Enjoy your day<br class="">
                    Jorge<br class="">
                    <br class="">
                    <br class="">
                    <br class="">
                    On 21-02-18 10:30, Till Adams wrote:<br class="">
                    <br class="">
                    Darrell, @ohers,<br class="">
                    <br class="">
                    thanks for the sum up, I agree in including such a
                    question in the next<br class="">
                    RfP. In order to preserve your proposal, I've added
                    your questionTill here:<br class="">
                    <br class="">
                    <a href="https://wiki.osgeo.org/wiki/Rfp" class=""
                      moz-do-not-send="true">https://wiki.osgeo.org/wiki/Rfp</a><br
                      class="">
                    <br class="">
                    I will add this to the next RfP-text.<br class="">
                    <br class="">
                    <br class="">
                    Till<br class="">
                    <br class="">
                    <br class="">
                    <br class="">
                    Am 20.02.2018 um 18:32 schrieb Darrell Fuhriman:<br
                      class="">
                    <br class="">
                    "FOSS4G attracts a global, diverse community. Are
                    there any laws, or<br class="">
                    social norms, in your proposed location that would
                    make members of our<br class="">
                    community feel unsafe or unwelcome? That could
                    include, but is not<br class="">
                    limited to, anti-LGBTQ+ policies, policies that
                    would prevent the free<br class="">
                    exercise of religion, restrictions on certain
                    activities based on<br class="">
                    gender or other factor, etc?”<br class="">
                    <br class="">
                    _______________________________________________<br
                      class="">
                    Conference_dev mailing list<br class="">
                    <a class="moz-txt-link-abbreviated"
                      href="mailto:Conference_dev@lists.osgeo.org"
                      moz-do-not-send="true">Conference_dev@lists.osgeo.org</a><br
                      class="">
                    <a class="moz-txt-link-freetext"
                      href="https://lists.osgeo.org/mailman/listinfo/conference_dev"
                      moz-do-not-send="true">https://lists.osgeo.org/mailman/listinfo/conference_dev</a><br
                      class="">
                    <br class="">
                    <br class="">
                    <br class="">
                    _______________________________________________<br
                      class="">
                    Conference_dev mailing list<br class="">
                    <a class="moz-txt-link-abbreviated"
                      href="mailto:Conference_dev@lists.osgeo.org"
                      moz-do-not-send="true">Conference_dev@lists.osgeo.org</a><br
                      class="">
                    <a class="moz-txt-link-freetext"
                      href="https://lists.osgeo.org/mailman/listinfo/conference_dev"
                      moz-do-not-send="true">https://lists.osgeo.org/mailman/listinfo/conference_dev</a><br
                      class="">
                    <br class="">
                  </blockquote>
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        <pre wrap="">_______________________________________________
Conference_dev mailing list
<a class="moz-txt-link-abbreviated" href="mailto:Conference_dev@lists.osgeo.org" moz-do-not-send="true">Conference_dev@lists.osgeo.org</a>
<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="https://lists.osgeo.org/mailman/listinfo/conference_dev" moz-do-not-send="true">https://lists.osgeo.org/mailman/listinfo/conference_dev</a></pre>
      </blockquote>
      <br>
      <pre class="moz-signature" cols="72">-- 
Cameron Shorter
Technology Demystifier, Learnosity
Open Technologies Consultant

M +61 (0) 419 142 254</pre>
    </blockquote>
    <br>
    <pre class="moz-signature" cols="72">-- 
Cameron Shorter
Technology Demystifier
Open Technologies and Geospatial Consultant

M +61 (0) 419 142 254</pre>
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