Perhaps because we work so much with so many people in other countries, I'm faced too often with conservative mores and of late it's become more prevalent; So much so that I'm faced with levels of bigotry that's becoming a bit too much to bare quietly.
At the very least I have to speak out about it then... and speak towards the much better situation we find ourselves in in South Africa!
Just look at how South Africa contrasts with the rest of Africa and then keep in mind how well Drupal does here too:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LGBT_rights_by_country_or_territory
I've travelled to African countries with LGBT penalties ranging from imprisonment to capital punishment and when I get a moment to sit and think about it, it makes me sick to my core. Among the most valuable people in my life, many of them super-contributors to the Drupal community, are members of the LGBT community too... but the majority of them fall within the expanded acronyms I prefer:
FABGLITTER (from Fetish such as the BDSM lifestyle community, Allies or poly-Amorous as in Polyamorous couples became more used, Bisexual, Gay, Lesbian, Intersexed, Transgender, Transsexual Engendering Revolution or inter-Racial attraction)
QUILTBAG, from Queer/Questioning, Undecided, Intersex, Lesbian, Trans, Bisexual, Asexual, Gay.
And perhaps more relevant for this post: Adding the initial A for Allies comes from straight (heterosexual) allies who are in support of the GLBT+ community.
Now that I publicly take ownership of that A, I also face penalty in countries like Nigeria to which I just finally declined to go for a second time. I can't be proud in my decision with regard to this post for not going, they could simply not afford me on both occasions; But I certainly did agonize over it.
Up to now, when I go to consult about or actually build Drupal sites up in Africa, I simply remain mum about such things and I will remain so when I travel there in future or otherwise possibly won't make it back here. In places like the UAE (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LGBT_rights_in_the_United_Arab_Emirates) I can keep quiet and be safe enough, but still have to put Christian on my visa to sail through travel checks easy enough. In Ethiopia too, but:
In Nigeria now (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LGBT_rights_in_Nigeria), on the other hand, you cannot even just be an Ally!
One LGBT++ friend of mine, when I expressed the possibility of simply boycotting such countries, mentioned that the site/project owners (banks, African development firms, aid workers funded by the West etc.) will still need to develop their products, and are often the "good" guys in these countries, so will simply be forced to work with bigots who do not care. So for now, work continues and I may even consider discounts for firms that continue to work with me after I make them aware of this post.
The Drupal community in Africa would be a lot more vibrant if they dropped their bigotry!
We should be proud of an celebrate our acceptance and our freedoms in South Africa.
Finally, I'm invited to speak in Kenya (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LGBT_rights_in_Kenya) today as a Drupal developer at the CMS Africa Summit (http://summit.cmsafrica.org/). While I initially jump at the opportunity, after reading the usual issues about this, I'm pretty despondent. It's not as bad as in many other African countries, but I'm simply not keen. Maybe one of you are? Maybe also join the international pressure on Kenya and make the Drupal talk about the amazing, accepting and inclusive community that is Drupal. But you will need a thick skin and would have to be prepared to take huge risk. This from Kenya:
Thank you to my fellow South Africans for this wonderful country I live in!
To the Kenyans, I wish you all the best, with the summit and with better human rights in your future. Perhaps consider teleconferencing in speakers and make a point of noting why a teleconference speaker was necessary. As examples:
The Computer Chaos Congress 30c3:
Julian Assange' Skype failed a bit, but the message was in tact:
"Julian Assange: Sysadmins of the world, unite! [30c3]"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hzhtGvSflEk
"30c3 keynote with Glenn Greenwald [30c3]"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gyA6NZ9C9pM
Comments
Thank you!
I understand that many people do not feel comfortable about posting about this in public. But thank you for all the private and in-person encouragement and participatory communication I received about this post. I really appreciate it and I hope that we will be able to generate more momentum in the right direction in future.
Especially to the people from other countries that have contacted me! It's encouraging to see our community be so supportive of our amazingly and already representative community here and in support of a more representative community overall! You guys (and of course, gals) make me feel a part of something good and right.
I hope to represent Drupal well in Kenya in representing Drupal in Africa if I go to Kenya. Let me know if you want to highlight anything; Tomorrow I let them know I'm coming and I hope to show them some of both the open community value of Drupal while I will still concentrate on representing Drupal as the most valuable CMS to invest one's future learning and advancement in.
I feel strongly that Drupal is a community ánd a CMS that will transform the world, and if Africa buys in to that participation, will pay dividends that all of Africa's countries will continue to benefit from as leaders of a free and performant, cutting edge internet service provision for our future.
Thank you most of all to the Johannesburg Drupal meetup group and the DASA for your support.
As a pragmatic approach and because my Nigerian visit will be less representative of the community and more of a business visit, I do not plan to note LGBT there in any way. Let's hope the situation there improves! (and that I make it back in one piece ;-)