Discussion
Not to sound overdramatic but with each passing hour I’m getting more and more saddened by the rejection of the DEIB devroom that we proposed at #FOSDEM (an initiative driven by @RosannaSibora and @Gina)
It would have been so powerful to have a DEIB (Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging) track - to promote the visibility of a different kind of folks in tech AND celebrate them at Europe’s largest open source gathering.
A mini 🧵🥲
Are there ever conference rooms that aren't booked/occupied that you could invade as a guerilla session?
If you fill it, that could show the organizers of it's popularity and that it should be included next year.
@_elena @RosannaSibora @Gina sorry to hear 😞 What about a FOSDEM Fringe event? They had them last year. I assume they will also have them this year https://archive.fosdem.org/2026/fringe/
@_elena @RosannaSibora @Gina I think we need to look at the DEIB devroom at FOSDEM as piece of performance art.
The DEIB devroom *is* happening. The rejection by FOSDEM is part of the performance. It makes an unequivocal statement on where we're at with Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging in 2026.
Think of it like 4'33"
@_elena @RosannaSibora @Gina What is DEIB responsible for?
@_elena @RosannaSibora @Gina You should seriously consider going rogue and doing this as a side event.
Women need to stop waiting for permission and just DO stuff, we can't rely on others to give us the green light.
@_elena rejection due what/why?
2/4
I LOVED tinkering with computers in my childhood and teenage years and it never even occurred to me I could have gotten into computer science or engineering. I didn’t have any examples of that. I chose Mass Communication instead.
It’s only now, many many years later, that I have discovered the world of FOSS (thanks to the Fediverse) and self-hosting. I’m having so much fun and I almost wish I could turn back the clock and study to become a sysadmin (my heroes!)
3/4
My child is at that age (5 almost 6) when girls start experiencing a confidence gap. I would have been a proud mamma to show her the incredible diversity of presenters in our devroom at FOSDEM.
I’ve been showing her examples of other kinds of excellence (than stereotypical cis white men - sorry no offense) since she was an infant.
But it’s so much more powerful when you discuss people you know IRL and can show actual examples...
@_elena My daughter was five or six when I worked for a dot-com company.
We brought her to a team evening at a pub (outside) and she started saying "You do this, you sit there" etc. and the CEO exclaimed "I need someone like her!". It was really sweet.
Not that it helps you right now, sorry. It just reminded me of it.
@davep aw I love this story, thanks for sharing ❤️
So far my little one has no confidence problems. Quite the opposite!
One of my favorite recent anecdotes is from when we left a restaurant (where she had done a drawing during dinner) and she asked me if we were going to the Louvre the next day (I'm a member and I can go for free, so I bring her along).
I was like: "Why?"
And she replied, fully serious: "Because I want to hang my drawing there!" 😂😂😂
@_elena I just had to read up on that confidence gap.
https://www.girlsschools.org/blog/blog-details/~board/blog/post/the-confidence-gap-myth-what-a-study-of-10000-students-revealed-about-girls-and-confidence
It's pretty shocking. Though I'm not sure whether/how biased this POV presented there is.
4/4
The rejection probably hurts a lot because in this new life, I feel like I have finally found my people and I am now looking forward to each edition of FOSDEM, like a homecoming 🥹
Maybe the silver lining in this is that I can turn the disappointment into a new creative project? Maybe a photo + short interview series celebrating underrepresented people in tech, who are brilliant trailblazers?
We really appreciate all your supportive messages today! Thanks! 🥲❤️
Various people including me suggested that a DEIB-themed OFFDEM might be perfect.
Imagine giving this such PR that it becomes a) very well visited, detracting from FOSDEM, with opportunity to have a whole bunch of nice tracks there, including inclusive fedi, and b) rub it in at FOSDEM conf in all kinds of creative ways to attract attention to the fact that DEI deserves way more care in FOSS circles.
Just one way is stickers. FOSDEM is sponsored by Big Tech, Google et al. The organization advised presenters to respect the sponsors and not be overly critical. And in past years mysteriously the FOSDEM became full of stickers like below on the lantern pole. Guess where these stickers could be had in abundance..
@_elena I think very much if there's no space for DDEI, etc in FOSDEM, we have to make our own spaces. maybe it's with https://linuxchix.org/
Maybe it's support people of colour creators.
@_elena I am so sorry about this. Sadly, it does not surprise me, based on my previous experiences at FOSDEM. 
@_elena I work with stories, it's my bread and (vegan) butter.
While it's incredibly annoying they won't allow a DEIB devroom telling stories of diversity in this field can be incredibly powerful, especially if you could create a website or dedicated account or something around it.
I never saw examples that even remotely looked like me in the fields that I was/am interested in and it really hampered me. While I do a lot of different things, one key part of my real life work is amplifying voices that aren't often heard and helping people find their voice. It's incredibly rewarding to do and can have a great positive impact on the person and their community.
I'd love for you to pursue this though I recognise it's a fair bit of effort.
@_elena @Gina Maybe there is another #OpenSource conference where you could add a few talks about it next year? ;-)
@_elena I really admire being capable to think of a silver lining and an actionable alternative like this! I'm always crushed for quite a while after rejections.
@_elena don't lose hope. Next year. You are so legit. I 've been in the floss community for 2 decades and the struggle to get out of niche computer scientist is so fucking hard. We need you so much. You are legit. You should be at home with us. Next year, we gonna do it ✊
@_elena Libreplanet maybe? not sure when the next conference is. it's usually in the spring.
@_elena may I ask if it seems reasonable to create pamphlets to distribute at FOSDEM explaining that your devroom has been rejected and if there's no reason given, asking people to demand the reason in person?
This may be late for the con itself, ma maybe it would be healthier for the next (2028 maybe?)
@_elena If you can't get a devroom, maybe you can host a meetup the day before or after (or even during?) the conference in a local café. You could ask the org to announce it somewhere on the site, similar to how they use to announce the beer event?
@_elena is there a way to organise a place in protest close to FOSDEM? With Fronteers, we originally had a side-event "Jam session" which became an official part of the event quickly enough.
Hi @_elena
I feel you, but found the smaller events much more impactful and rewarding than the mainstream big shots. It's honourable that you pitch the big stages, but if they don't want it, it's less your loss than theirs. Go to smaller events instead, e.g. the https://SFSCON.it and maybe pitch again next year.
Edit: Uh, or maybe do it at the parallel #OFFDEM https://infosec.exchange/@realn2s/117478966165129973
Btw. that's where I fisrt met @tommi
@_elena Was there a particular reason given for why it was rejected? Doesn't it overlap with the Community one?
@_elena is a fringe event possible? I 'hacked' a commercial conf once by organizing something right next door. Which brought in ppl from the 'real' event.
@_elena@mastodon.social 10000000% agree
@ivan grazie Ivan! ❤️
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@_elena @RosannaSibora @Gina I wasn't very impressed by some on the fediverse events I've been to. one of them involved advocating to make space on the fediverse for republicans.