Wikimedia LGBT+/Governance/2024-05-19

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This online video conference is focused on the tasks of governance and the LGBT+ User Group. The meeting is intended as an opportunity for core organizers to discuss shared opportunities, challenges, and ideas.

• Date: 19 May 2024
• Time: 1400–1500 UTC+0 (7:00 – 8:00am PT / 10:00 – 11:00pm ET)
• Duration: 60 minutes

The Wikimedia Universal Code of Conduct will be followed for this meeting.

Attendees

• Owen Blacker
• Lane Rasberry (non-voting attendee)
• Freddy Veloz
• Paperboy Prince
• Ayokanmi Oyeyemi

Anonymous members might also have been present

Agenda and notes

Core funding grant update

• For info: Owen met with Stéphane at Kiwix; we have about $2,842 left of previous unrestricted funds
• Action needed: Someone needs to be able to approve Owen's £450 invoice for Google and Zoom fees
  • Resolved: Freddy has approved this
• For info: Our grant proposal: General Support Fund: Sustaining Wikimedia LGBT+
• For info: New metrics: Feedback from the Regional Committee re: your 2024 proposal
• For info: End of discussion timespan is tmrw (Mon 20 May)
  • we may get additional questions from the grant review committee, in which case we should reply quickly
• For info: Funding decisions will be announced in 2 weeks (Fri 31 May)
• Recommendations needed: Staffing an Exec director and Membership coordinator
  • we have US$50k for director and $12k for coordinator
  • we will have an open call for both of these
  • again - what kind of person could we hire for director?
    • ideally
      • English and Spanish speaking
      • fluent in LGBT+ community culture
      • familiarity with the Wikimedia / Open Knowledge Movement
      • professional experience
    • good traits
      • good charity experience
      • fundraising experience
  • Dorothy prepared the start of a job spec
    • Action: Owen will circulate
  • Can we use [greenhouse.com Greenhouse] for hiring? It seems to work well for the Foundation
• For discussion: Potential project: EuroPride Thessaloniki: Rapid Grant proposal: WikiLovesEuroPride2024 (ID: 22458581); decision not needed until grant lands

Electing a board chair

• For info: We should do this in next month's meeting, or by vote immediately thereafter
• we currently do not have a chair
• Owen would like to volunteer to chair
• This should not be an anonymous Board member
• Are other candidates interested?

Berlin Summit playback

• Lane, Jeffery, Owen, and Z met in Berlin at the Wikimedia Summit 2024
• For info: Movement Charter discussions
  • outcomes of the Summit on Meta at Wikimedia Summit 2024
• Question: What is the position of Wikimedia LGBT+ in LGBT+ issues in the wiki movement?
  • Answer: Other wiki organizations are aware of Wikimedia LGBT+ but we are not currently offering services which could be the base of collaboration (clarification needed)
• For info: Discussions with other diversity affiliates
  • Wikimedia LGBT+ supported the nomination of a Wikimedian of the Year who lives in Gaza
• For info: Owen had discussions with Dumisami Ndubane about Wikimania 2025
  • Mehrdad has left the Wikimedia Foundation (for a dream job elsewhere)
  • Dumisami is a WMF point of contact for us to continue to negotiate safety preparation at Wikimania
  • There are conversations that can continue but we lose time that we invested in this person (clarification needed)
  • There are Wikimania events planned in places with serious LGBT+ safety concerns that we can discuss how to help mitigate

Human Rights discussions

• For info: Our conversations with the WMF Human Rights Team need re-starting
  • There are some of us who have been meeting with the Wikimedia Foundation human rights team
  • It seems helpful that we should meet them again
  • Dorothy used to meet them
  • Question: What would this entail?
    • Stakeholder management and programme management — partly helping the Foundation do better here for queer wikimedians
• Decision needed: Someone needs to own this process, at least until we hire an ED
  • Resolved: Lane is happy to stay on top of this for now
• Example: ruwiki has agreed to redact usernames of editors contributing to the article on the current war in Ukraine; see the revision history of 'Russian invasion of Ukraine' on ruwiki

Spanish Wikipedia celebrates 23 year anniversary

• Miguel was one of the Wikipedians highlighted and Wikiproyecto:LGBT was highlighted as a best project.
  • Since the board meeting there has been blogposts from Wikimedia Spain and on Diff

WMF Board elections

• For info: 4 Community/Affiliate Board seats up for election (Dariusz Jemielniak, Rosie Stephenson-Goodknight, Victoria Doronina, Lorenzo Losa)
• For info: Candidate applications are open 8–29 May.
  • [Confidential note about some potential candidates]
• For info: Candidate shortlisting by affiliates (during June; see Wikimedia Foundation elections/2024 § Shortlisting process
• For info: Actual voting will be across 2 week in late August or early September
• For info: WMF Board will formally approve trustees-elect in their December board meeting
• Decision needed: Anyone want to be our rep for candidate shortlisting?

Scheduling our next call

• For info: Early in June, so we can discuss the yay/nay on our funding proposal
  • Owen will send round a Doodle poll

AOB

• None