The GNOME Foundation consistently fails to be transparent about the decisions they make because every statement by the Board or President is a liability to the Foundation (fair enough), so I am stepping up as a non-Board member to share the email I received earlier today, about getting my account suspended for 10 days for code of conduct violations (effective November 10): https://discourse.gnome.org/t/update-on-code-of-conduct-actions/39994/4?u=theevilskeleton
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We want to emphasize that the Code of Conduct prioritizes the safety marginalized groups in GNOME, and allows those whose safety is threatened to speak out in opposition to oppressive behavior. This is something that we take very seriously. Should you return to the GNOME project, you can communicate your boundaries and need for safety when you feel that they are threatened. You can also oppose discriminatory and oppressive behaviors by others. However, if you do, we recommend that you avoid misrepresenting other community members, stick to the issues when disagreements do arise, and avoid making personal accusations.
The overview of this is practically "here's a tutorial on how to defend yourself, brought to you by a good chunk of privileged people who haven't had to repeatedly defend their or others' existence"
Also, we did communicate our boundaries. We said no to AI boosters. They kept pushing us like the bullies they are.
@TheEvilSkeleton @tragivictoria it's sad that many privileged people still don't understand that enforcing rules on how oppressed people express their oppression is in itself part of the same oppression.
Listen and do better. It can be difficult, especially if it hits in the comfort zone, but sometimes there are more important things to protect than one owns comfort.
Despite the bans, don't give up y'all. GNOME is one of the biggest and influential desktops on Linux, and did an overall good job at keeping it inclusive throughout its existence. We rejected donations from Framework, a company that openly allows Nazis. We lost tons of sponsors and contributions from large companies thanks to our resistance as a community. We also kickstarted a fundraising/engagement team some time ago to gather funds from the community, to remain independent.
It's true that the code of conduct committee and some of the privileged Foundation members privilegesplained in the email and in private rooms today and in the past, but we should still continue to fight and make sure that GNOME remains for the benefit of society.
This 10-day ban is a slap on the wrist for me, and I'm okay with taking a small break honestly. I won't let this intimidate or silence me. I know that me posting the email is likely to get me in trouble (again), but that won't stop me from doing the right thing, even if it diminishes my own reputation.
@TheEvilSkeleton Glad I'm not part of the foundation, apparently you have to be willing to be quiet when abuse is happening or you might harm the abusers feelings.
@reflex @TheEvilSkeleton Hari isn't part of the foundation's board but is a foundation member.
@TheEvilSkeleton For transparency, this is what I received. Both the Board and the Code of Conduct Committee passed the tests of being ignorant of struggles queer people face every single day. Calling someone a bigot is now apparently a "personal accusation" as well as "misrepresenting other community members", and punishable under GNOME's CoC.
Both the GNOME Foundation and CoCC decided to protect bigots that were ruining the community for a long time now. Ladies and gentlemen and they/them, this is how you cause active contributors to leave the project.
#Linux #GNOME