Shared Values and the Drupal Community

Dries recently wrote a blog post about the challenges of fostering diversity and inclusivity in the Drupal community. This is the latest installment of a conversation that’s been going on for years.

In 2012, a group of Drupal community members worked together to draft a Code of Conduct that could be used to supplement the Drupal community’s Code of Conduct at DrupalCon and other in-person events.

This effort prompted a large (and sometimes heated) conversation that involved people from all corners of the Drupal community. This conversation was a difficult one, and many of us disagreed about many different things, but ultimately, we all agreed on several general principles:

• We are a group of diverse people from a wide variety of ethnic, cultural, and religious backgrounds, and we embrace that.
• Making all attendees feel welcome and included at DrupalCon is everyone’s job.
• We treat each other with dignity and respect.
• We take responsibility for our words and actions and the impact that they may have on others.

These principles informed the DrupalCon Code of Conduct, which was ratified by the Drupal Association in the summer of 2012 and has been used at every DrupalCon since.

At the last few DrupalCons, there have been a number of reported incidents, including groping, sexual harassment, physical assault, inappropriate comments made about female speakers, and more. While we are grateful that these incidents are being reported, even a single incident is too many.

In early 2013, the Community Working Group was chartered by Dries to uphold the Drupal Code of Conduct and to maintain a friendly and welcoming community for the Drupal project.

As a community, it’s important that we always keep our shared principles and values in mind when interacting with others, whether that be in person at DrupalCon, in the issue queues on Drupal.org, on IRC, or via social media. As the DrupalCon Code of Conduct states, the purpose is not to restrict the diversity of ideas and expression, but instead to ensure that there is a place for everyone in the Drupal community who agrees to abide by these basic principles.

Even when everyone has the best intentions, however, it’s inevitable that conflicts will occur. To ensure that these are addressed in a manner consistent with our shared values, the Community Working Group has worked with the community to develop a conflict resolution policy that lays out the process for addressing disagreements. This policy was developed by participants in the Community Summits at DrupalCons Prague and Austin, with additional review on Drupal.org.

This policy seeks to first and foremost empower individuals to resolve issues between themselves when possible, asking for help when needed, and only after that fails to escalate further. This approach gives people more control over their dispute and is the most likely to result in a positive outcome for everyone involved.

For matters that cannot or should not be resolved in any other way, the Community Working Group is available as a point of escalation. Incidents can be confidentially reported to the Community Working Group using the Incident Report Form. If the issue falls within the purview of the Community Working Group’s jurisdiction, we will then work with the involved individuals to find a remedy.

In her DrupalCon Austin keynote Erynn Petersen talked about how diversity is a key component of a healthy and productive community. While the Drupal community is one of the most diverse and welcoming communities in open source, we still have room for improvement. If you’re interested in joining us in that effort, let us know by responding to our call for volunteers or by participating in a Community Summit at an upcoming DrupalCon.

Actively supporting and maintaining a welcoming environment is something that every one of us in the Drupal community needs to be a part of, and it’s essential to the long-term health and growth of the project and community that we all love so much.