Queer Spark is a site dedicated to helping people of all walks of life connect with each other and build communities without the abuse that results from profit driven services and technologies.
This code of conduct applies to all our spaces, including our xmpp channels, services, and events, both online and off. If you are being harassed by a member of Queer Spark outside our spaces, we still want to know about it. We will take all good-faith reports of harassment by Queer Spark members, seriously. This includes harassment outside our spaces and harassment that took place at any point in time. The mediation team reserves the right to exclude people from Queer Spark based on their past behavior, including behavior outside Queer Spark spaces and behavior towards people who are not in Queer Spark.
We acknowledge that we come from different backgrounds and all have certain biases and privileges. Therefore, this Code of Conduct cannot account for all the ways that people might feel excluded, unsafe, or uncomfortable. We commit to open dialogues, and as such this Code of Conduct is never finished and should change whenever needed.
Information for reporting abuse is in the contact section.
We as a community pledge to make participation in our community a harassment-free experience for everyone, regardless of age, body size, visible or invisible disability, ethnicity, sex characteristics, gender identity and expression, level of experience, education, socio-economic status, nationality, personal appearance, race, caste, color, religion, or sexual identity and orientation.
Queer Spark prioritizes marginalized people's safety over privileged people's comfort. Owners, administrators, and moderators reserve the right not to act on complaints regarding:
- "Reverse" -isms, including "reverse racism," "reverse sexism," and "cisphobia".
- Reasonable communication of boundaries, such as “leave me alone,” “go away,” or “I'm not discussing this with you.”
- Communicating in a "tone" you don't find congenial.
- Criticizing racist, sexist, cissexist, or otherwise oppressive behavior or assumptions.
- Any form of stalking, harassing behavior, such as doxxing, evading blocks, repeated hostile messages against a person or a server (online or in person).
- Debating the rights and lived experiences of marginalized people in the community.
- The use of sexualized/violent language or imagery, and sexual attention or advances of any kind.
- Deliberate misgendering or use of "dead" or rejected names.
- We also follow the Social Rules of the Recurse collective.
- No questioning or challenging someone's stated self-identity or chosen labels, even if they conflict with your own views.
- Deliberate “outing” of any aspect of a person's identity without their consent except as necessary to protect vulnerable people from intentional abuse.
- Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM), in all its manifestations (including animations or illustrations).
- Symbols and slogans associated with fascist regimes and/or fascist or white nationalist movements.
- We do not accept colonialism, imperialism in all forms, nationalism (above all nationalism of nation states) and militarism.
- Promotion of capitalism or meritocracy.
- Publication of non-harassing private communication.
- Harassing photography or recording, including logging online activity for harassment purposes.
- Messages promoting or encouraging pseudoscience, conspiracies or misinformation.
- Arguments that seek to deny or cast doubt on historic or ongoing acts of genocide.
- Physical contact and simulated physical contact (eg, textual descriptions like “hug” or “backrub”) without consent or after a request to stop.
- Incitement of violence towards any individual, including encouraging a person to commit suicide or to engage in self-harm.
- Assume good faith.
- Asking before assuming. For example what someone's preferred pronoun is, if they want to be touched, whether they know anything about a subject. If we are unsure, we ask for clarity. We also understand that not all questions are OK, or need answering.
- Respecting other beings, present or not, human or not.
- Be empathetic, by actively listening to others and not dominating discussions. We give each other the chance to improve and let each other step up into positions of responsibility. We make room for others. We are aware of each other's feelings, provide support while knowing when to step back. We ask to make sure that our actions are wanted. Leaving physical, emotional and conceptual room for other people.
- Encouragement to ask questions. No question is too obvious or should be known before asked.
- Consider the space and the ability of others.
- Giving and gracefully accepting constructive feedback. Accepting responsibility, apologizing to those affected by our mistakes, and learning from the experience.
- Focusing on what is best not just for us as individuals, but for the overall community. It sometimes means requesting dignity/respect/consideration for those who are not here.
- Technology that tries to follow the Permacomputing Principles
- Caring for our physical and digital environment. We pay attention to the people, facilities, infrastructures and objects brought together and treat them with the necessary care.
- Consent: No unsolicited advice, respecting the autonomy of people using our server/app, respecting the privacy of other people in the network. See Consentful Tech.
- Plurality of views, experiences and backgrounds. This means that, especially as a white person, you might be called out on problematic behaviour. Do not confuse the discomfort this brings with being "unsafe". We expect you to be willing to examine your privilege, language and other habits while you are here, and work on a growing understanding of intersectional feminism. We aim to be a place of learning, but we also expect you to do the work of understanding basic concepts yourself.
- Humility and empathy. People that know tech are not necessarily smarter or care more about subjects like privacy than other people.
- A spirit of collaboration and consensus for working on projects. Each contributor participates in their own way according to their abilities, time and mental energy that they have. Decisions are taken with consideration to those affected by them, whether they have the ability/time/desire to participate in the project or not.
- Be open for self-reflection of our communities/people/figures/organizations. They can be wrong or do wrong things. We should speak up when we see them do wrong and it's okay to reform, remove the people that did/enable it or create new ones and denounce these that don't want to change.
- That all problems can be fixed with tech.
- That "freedom of speech" means everyone is obligated to listen to you or that anything you share is free of criticism.
- That the gender ratio in tech is a non-issue or is caused by women being "innately disinterested" in tech.
- That CoCs are oppression.
- That software accessibility is a lesser concern.
- that people should use FOSS/FLOSS/OSS even when it is not a good fit or they can't
- That developers are superior to people using the app/translators/designers, and the only ones whose opinions matter. We try to respect the dignity, experiences, and perspectives of those that are implicated by the work we do. It is very possible that those affected are not in the room with us.
- Events by Queer Spark or its members are encouraged to follow the Public Health Pledge
- The Queer Spark community commits to work for more diversity and inclusivity across all its events and spaces. This work may include for example:
- Seeking out and preferring/giving platform to a diverse group of speakers, presenters, organizers, leadership roles, community members in our spaces.
- Taking apropriate steps for accessibility of all Queer Spark spaces.
- Organize vegan meals by default. Following the example of the Offdem conference.
- Encourage the use of pronouns by default in name tags and other places names appear.
- Encourage the use of consent badges.
- Communication in Queer Spark spaces is considered private, and each member is free to decide how much, or how little, they want to share. Do not share photos, screenshots, profile information, conversations or other information that is visible or shared within the group with people outside of our community without the explicit consent of all involved. If you have received permission in the past, ask again; circumstances may have changed, and information may no longer be valid. Delete any recordings or pictures if asked.