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WMLGBT+/Queering Wikipedia 2022-2023 Grant Report

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Outcomes and Impact

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Queering Wikipedia 2022 and Queering Wikipedia 2023 were hosted by Wikimedia LGBT+ and Queering Wikipedia Organizers, with the support of Wikimedia Austria and Wikimedia Argentina. QW2022 was held October 21-22, 2022. QW2023 was held on May 12, 14, and 17, 2023.

QW2022

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The possible number of attendees for QW2022 was difficult to predict prior to the event. Zoom metrics indicate a total of 110 Zoom participants over the 2 event days. Additional participation in the conference occurred on Wikimedia platforms, in our dedicated conference Telegram, on the mailing list, and on our Queering Wikipedia and Wikimedia LGBT+ channels on Youtube, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and Mastodon.

QW2022 iterated on the QW2021 Working Days model to expand the event to a wider audience. During conference discussions, some attendees expressed that they were otherwise unfamiliar with Wikimedia LGBT+ prior to the event. The presence of those who were unfamiliar with Wikimedia LGBT+ before the event was somewhat surprising, given our limited resources to promote the event outside User Group channels, and limitations specially around resources to protect participant safety as the event scales.

Organizers expected QW2022 to be a high-impact event, given the User Group's outstanding efforts to formalize governance processes, and the Conference's focus on fostering discussions for global Wikimedia LGBT+ participants to shape the User Group's future directions. However, the event participation and demand was beyond what Wikimedia LGBT+ had planned to support, putting strain on organizers and administrative resources. This interest in QW2022 allowed organizers to gauge interest and engage in need-finding for the more heavily planned and promoted QW2023 events in May 2023.

QW2023

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The possible number of attendees for QW2023 was difficult to predict prior to the event. Zoom metrics indicate there were 395 Zoom participants in attendance over the 3 conference days. Additional participation in the conference occurred on Wikimedia platforms, in our dedicated conference Telegram, on the mailing list, and on our Queering Wikipedia and Wikimedia LGBT+ channels on Youtube, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Mastodon.

The range and creativity of proposals exceeded organizer expectations. The full list of QW2023 events is available in the QW2023 Schedule. The QW2023 online conference program included presentations and conversations about community strategies, gender and translation, Wikipedia and LGBT+ rights, LGBT+ histories, and more. There were several unconference lightning talks and sessions that were organized in parallel of the main program in breakout rooms.

Event organizers were not expecting the resulting total of 12 autonomous Nodes in 5 continents for QW2023, although we planned to circulate information to anyone interested in organizing a Node event for the conference, and had hoped for community participation. Coordinating among Nodes and organizers also presented challenges. While many Nodes were organized in advanced, other Node details came together only within a few days before the conference, leading to last-minute planning and a rush to respond to support requests across multiple languages. Advance planning measures could be implemented for future events, such that Node events have clear deadlines to formally register. This measure would help ensure quality control, and allow organizers and Node participants to focus on attending to live events.

There were multiple submissions to the QW2023/Creative program, many of which generated unexpected conversations and points of convergence. Over 100+ images and videos were uploaded to Wikimedia Commons in relation to QW2023. See: Commons:Category:QW2023.

Conference Innovations

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  • Conference making as capacity building - QW2022-QW2023 events were used to build capacity both within WM LGBT+ User Group membership, but also with individual novice contributors. Outreachy.org funds were used to have an intern (total outsider to Wikimedia) from less priviledged background and less organized Portugese langauge part of community to be almost fully dedicated to the project. 2 open workshops were organized specifically with that in mind. We focused also on learning to use FLOSS tools, technical services and fediverse infrastructure to create visibility in technical communities centered around FLOSS.
  • Utilizing Telegram Groups (including #topics feature) and channels for Participant and Organizer interaction -- The Conference adopted Telegram for the conference with multiple channels for different points of interaction among organizers and attendees, including: questions, troubleshooting, and notes/chat. A paid subscription was required for some of the features we employed.
  • Focusing on Live Interpretation and Translation -- The conference focused on a robust interpretation and translation strategy to meet the needs of our trans-local audiences. This was possible because the conference was organized by a bi-lingual organizing team. There were interpreters and translators between Spanish and English for many conference sessions, with some sessions also having interpreters for Turkish and Portuguese. Promotional materials and social media posts were written in English and Spanish.
  • Office Hours -- Office Hours were held on a weekly basis leading up to the Conference to provide opportunities for anyone to ask questions about the Conference and co-develop organizing strategies. For many of these external or ingroup expert was present (mostly Lea). Node organizers were encouraged to attend Office Hours to get questions answered. Benefits are a dedicated live Q&A space, next to internal space for Q&A on Forum. Challenges were staffing these meetings, from medium to low attendance, and measuring impact.

Significant Changes

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The conference was divided into two separate events, due to administrative capacity and the COVID-19 pandemic. These changes were coordinated with WMF Grants Officers to ensure compliance with grant requirements.

An Administrative Executive was hired to process invoices and maintain financial records and reports for Queering Wikipedia 2023.

QW2023 organizers worked with autonomous Node events, many of which were independently organized and not planned by QW organizers. List of independently-organized Node events:

The demand for Node event support would have been difficult to predict, and was not outlined in the initial grant proposal in a way that reflected the event support resources we needed in order to respond to all requests for support from Node organizers.

Long-term Impact

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Queering Wikipedia organizers created a model for a conference event that can continue to be developed and improved in future years. The Conference provided an opportunity for leadership development among Wikimedia LGBT+ community organizers, and an opportunity for peer support, education, and promotion of specific Wikimedia projects by community volunteers and partners. An intern was provided with a resume-building educational experience, with the goal of positive career impacts.[1]

Anyone interested in Queering Wikipedia 2022/2023 can view slides, videos, and other materials published by speakers and organizers. Our documentation can provide lasting educational opportunities to engage with efforts to address LGBT+ topics and support the LGBT+ community on Wikimedia platforms.

Attendee Engagement

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The total number of attendees who have never attended any Wikimedia event before is difficult to estimate given we received a total of 35 survey responses, with many more in attendance. The Survey responses indicated:

  • 11/35 survey respondents replied: "Less than a year"
  • 11/35 survey respondents replied: "1–3 years"
  • 8/35 survey respondents replied: "5–10 years"
  • 4/35 survey respondents replied: "10+ years"

Organizers observed that many of the attendees of the QW2023 virtual conference were familiar, because they had attended QW2022.

Many autonomous Node events were also held. We are not aware of information collected by Nodes about the number of attendees from these events who have never attended any Wikipedia event before. However, we understand that several Node events were not widely publicized due to the nature of the conference, and it is likely that attendees were mostly those who had some prior relationship with a Wikimedia affiliate.

Engaging Long-term Wikimedians

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The number of participants who have been involved in Wikimedia activities for more than 5 years is difficult to estimate given we received a total of 35 survey responses, with many more in attendance. The Survey responses indicated:

  • 8/35 survey respondents replied: "5–10 years"
  • 4/35 survey respondents replied: "10+ years"

Learning and next steps

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Lessons for Future Organizers

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Future conferences organized by Wikimedia LGBT+ should seek to appoint core leadership positions and hire for administrative roles early on, and develop an organizing structure that increases the administrative capacity of the central organizing committee.

Organizers shared hosting and moderation duties in many online sessions. However, in other sessions, hosting was done ad hoc and without a clear host. Future organizers should circulate an internal session agenda with sign-ups for moderator roles to help distribute these responsibilities and give moderators breaks. A "crib sheet" of what needs to be said at the beginning of each session, and speaker bios would be a useful resource to provide to session moderators.

Safety is a critical issue at Wikimedia LGBT+ events. Conference Organizers developed techniques to manage the unique privacy and safety concerns of our participants, including:

  • Some presenters did not want presentation notes of anything they said
  • Some participants stated comments in the Zoom or in the chat, then did not want their comments documented in any form
  • Wiki LGBT+ needed safety information to be published in order to advance conversation, but we need to ensure safety by not providing unnecessary details to potential attackers

However, more strategy is also needed around the privacy and safety of mostly volunteer-run Wikimedia community events, to ensure the success of the conference and avoid the harassment of attendees or organizing. For example, harassment of organizers was an issue during QW2022-2023. Although we established a QW2022/Friendly Space policy, Wiki LGBT+ still does not have administrative resources to provide peer support and human rights consultations to those who are victims of harassment due to their participation in Wiki LGBT+ activities like this event.

Areas Where Support Can Improve

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Conference organizers identified a need for increased capacity to respond to harassment of organizers during the organizing process. The Wikimedia Foundation could develop better infrastructure to facilitate conflict management education, and mediation to provide when conflicts arise.

As we have discussed before, one of the main factors that led to splitting the 2 parts of the conference was a lack of in-team experience in event organizing. Given this is a skill that will be used infrequently by a large number of affiliates, we still believe that the Foundation should consider hiring a small number of event organizers who could provide that expertise to affiliates who are planning and running events.

Leveraging Momentum

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The community request which we heard at the conference was for a significant increase in administrative service offerings of Wikimedia LGBT+. The proposed solution for delivering these services is formalization of Wiki LGBT+. The services to offer include: establishing a central point of contact; community conversation support; harassment support.

Follow-Up Plans

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We invited conference attendees to Wikimedia LGBT+'s monthly User Group meetings, and provided participants with information about how to attend. We plan to build momentum by holding space at User Group meetings to discuss reflections and action points extending from the conference.

Attendees were provided with information about our communication channels, including our mailing list, Telegram, and Mastodon. We plan to use the Wikimedia LGBT+ Telegram group to continue to offer support for efforts related to outcomes of this conference within our community.

Operational Recommendations for Future Organizers

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  • Arrange for multiple translators to work the event to ensure availability and decrease fatigue. Set up a translation-specific communication channel, such as a Telegram group chat. Make sure to include translation in your budget, as it can be expensive. Plan for both translation at live events, and translation of event promotion materials and post-event documentation.
  • Make sure you have a dedicated safe space channel set up prior to your event. Write safe space coordinators into your budget, as these roles need specialists with the expertise necessary to manage and triage complex socio-technical situations.
  • Prepare a post-event survey and have it translated into the languages spoken by participants. When writing the post-event survey, consider the questions asked by event funders for grant reports, and ask the organizing team what data would be useful for them to run future events and programs.

Financial documentation

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Budget breakdown

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Budget line Budget (USD) Conversion (EUR)1 Spend (EUR) Original description and notes
Project management $ 30 000 25 187·27 € 30 166·36 € Contract project management
Participant expenses $ 18 750 15 742·04 € 0·00 € Initially intended for low carbon travel, accommodation. Unspent; see note 2
Presenter expenses $  4 800 4 029·96 € 3 731·15 € Initially intended for low carbon travel, accommodation; see note 3
Management team $  4 000 3 358·30 € 6 188·00 € Expenses and honoraria; see note 4
Translations $ 10 000 8 395·76 € 10 121·09 € Contract, up to 10 languages; see note 5
Facilitators $  6 000 5 037·45 € 850·00 € Contract facilitation
Node costs $ 10 000 8 395·76 € 7 791·81 € Venue charges, technology costs
Communications $  3 500 2 938·51 € 4 037·37 € Publications, honoraria
Awards, prizes $  2 400 2 014·98 € 9 205·45 € Products, branded merchandise; see note 2
Total $ 89 450 75 100·03 € 72 091·23 €
Fiscal sponsor fee 3 000·00 € 3 000·00 € See note 1
Grand total $ 89 450 78 100·03 € 75 091·23 € ≈ USD 79 343·393 (at 1 USD = 0·946 408 EUR)

Notes

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  1. When preparing the grant proposal, we neglected to account for the overhead costs of our fiscal sponsor. In order to allow for these costs, from the euro-denominated amount received by Wikimedia Österreich, we allocated € 3 000 for WMAT overheads then divided the remainder according to the original budgeted proportions.
  2. No participant expenses were required, given the conference was virtual and all in-person costs were born by nodes. No awards or prizes were organised, so these budget lines were pooled in order to offer attendees branded merchandise
  3. Token honoraria were offered to safe-space contacts, session moderators and to compensate a small number of organisers who had put in substantial volunteer project management time
  4. Honoraria were offered to invited speakers
  5. Initially we had planned to offer translation for reports but instead we offered simultaneous translation for all sessions between English and Spanish, in recognition of the high level of activity from the Spanish-language members of the user group. Additional translation was also provided for Portuguese and Turkish.

Summary of funding

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Total project budget (from your approved grant submission):

USD 89 450

Total amount requested from WMF (from your approved grant submission):

USD 89 450

Total amount spent on this project (this total should be the total calculated from the table above):

EUR 75 091·23 ≈ USD 79 343·393 (at 1 USD = 0·946 408 EUR)

Total amount of WMF grant funds spent on this project:

EUR 75 091·23 ≈ USD 79 343·393

Are there additional sources of revenue that funded any part of this project?

None

Remaining funds

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Are there any grant funds remaining?

Answer YES or NO.

Yes

Please list the total amount (specify currency) remaining here. (This is the amount you did not use, or the amount you still have after completing your grant.)

EUR 3 008·80 ≈ USD 3 179·179

Evaluation

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QW2023 Participation

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The Conference took place remotely. Online engagement is notoriously difficult to measure, and we offered multiple platforms for engagement. Some platforms were also chosen specifically to allow participants to join anonymously, due to the potential risks of harm in association with LGBT+ work in regions around the world. For example, a YouTube livestream was offered, to support those hesitant to use Zoom video conferencing. More support from the WMF is needed to effectively manage risks associated with the adoption of technology at conference events. The distributed, trans-local nature of the Nodes also meant that many Nodes did their own promotion and online documentation on accounts which QW23 were not managing, making metrics on Node engagement online difficult to surmise.

  • Pre-registration
    • 82 people pre-registered for the conference using a Google form
  • Zoom participation
    • QW2023
      • Day 1: 151 participants over 426 minutes
      • Day 2: 89 participants over 495 minutes
      • Day 3: 155 participants over 423 minutes
    • QW2022
      • Day 1: 58 participants over 192 minutes
      • Day 2: 52 participants over 280 minutes
  • Youtube
    • Some pre-recorded presentations were posted to our Youtube channel: @QueeringW
    • We published 7 videos for QW2023 on our Youtube channel and 3 from QW2022
    • There have been a total of 523 views on the 10 Youtube videos, from April 30 to July 28, 2023 (Youtube analytics)

QW2023 Survey

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  • A QW2023 post-event survey was sent to Conference attendees as a Google form, via email. The survey was written by core organizers and a translator was paid to translate the survey into Spanish, to have a wider potential reach. In the future, the UG would like to explore additional options for the translation of surveys, including the use of Google translate.
    • There were 35 responses to the QW2023 survey.
    • The QW2023 Participant Survey questions and results are documented below:

QW2023 Survey Results

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How long have you been involved in Wikipedia or other Wikimedia Projects? / ¿Durante cuánto tiempo estuviste involucrade en Wikipedia o otros proyectos Wikimedia?
Less than a year / Menos de un año 11
1-3 years / 1-3 años 11
5-10 years / 5-10 años 8
10+ years / +10 años 5
How many Wikimedia events have you attended previously? / ¿De cuántos eventos Wikimedia participaste previamente?
This was my first / Este fue el primero 9
From 2 to 10 events / De 2 a 10 eventos 15
From 10 to 20 events / De 10 a 20 eventos 6
20+ events / 20+ eventos 5
Which elements of Queering Wikipedia 2023 did you like the most? / ¿Qué elementos de Queering Wikipedia 2023 te gustaron más?
Keynotes / Oradores principales 16
Panels and Presentations / Paneles y presentaciones 28
Node events / Eventos de Nodos 12
Unconference / Des-conferencias 0
Creative program / Programa creativo 8
What issues did you have attending the online event? / ¿Qué problemas tuviste para participar del evento en línea?
Technical issues accessing the conference / Problemas técnicos para acceder a la conferencia 8
Difficult to join event / Dificultad para unirme al evento 7
Language translation was not provided for my language / No había traducción de idiomas hacia mi idioma 1
I observed misconduct among attendees / Observé malas conductas entre les participantes 0
I observed sexual or gender based harassment /Observé acoso basado en el sexo o género 0
I observed other forms of harassment / Observé otras formas de acoso 1
I experienced harassment as a result of my participation / Experimenté acoso como resultado de mi participación 1
What topics or activities would you like to see more of in future Queering Wikipedia programs? / ¿Qué temáticas o actividades te gustaría ver en futuros programas de Queering Wikipedia?
LGBT+ rights around the world / Derechos LGBT+ al rededor del mundo 17
LGBT+ biographies / Biografías LGBT+ 13
LGBT+ related images and photography / Imágenes y fotografías relacionadas a la comunidad LGBT + 8
Wikipedia editing campaigns / Campañas de edición de Wikipedia 20
Wikipedia Manual of Style and pronouns / Manual de estilos y pronombres de Wikipedia 16
Addressing harassment in the community / Abordar el acoso dentro de la comunidad 15
Censorship / Censura 7
Funding regional activities / accessing grants / Financiamiento actividades regionales / acceso a becas 16
Wiki community organization / Organización de la comunidad Wiki 9
Leadership and organizational management trainings / Entrenamientos de liderazgo y gestión organizativa 8
Entertainment and cultural program 5
Socializing and networking 13
What do you think of multi-day program with breaks in-between?
I enjoyed it more then continuous events 30
I did not enjoy it at all 0
Neutral 2

Anything else

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