Wikimedia LGBT+/Governance/2022-06-25

Wikimedia LGBT+ User Group Governance committee meeting, 25 June 2022, 1600 UTC

Refer to Wikimedia LGBT+/Governance for scope and membership. Due to off-wiki abuse, attendance is not minuted and participants’ names are not noted against actions.

Agenda

1. QW funding agreement
2. Review of QW project manager's line management
3. GovCom role in oversight of community channels and related events
4. User group risk log
5. AOB/next meeting

0. Actions from previous meeting

Previous meeting minutes

• 1.1: To be published, list of draft resolutions and policies that the user group needs in place before formalizing a board next year. (R in progress)
• 1.2: Draft a whistle-blowing policy and general complaints process for the user group. (Done)
• 2.2: Monitor the WMAT return of unused budget. (Done)
• 2.3: Draft the necessary interim operating proposals for UG committee. (R in progress)
  • Needs review: may want to crib from another affiliate
• 2.4: Invite or recommend potential new GovCom members. (Done)

1. QW funding agreement

• The agreement between the Wikimedia Foundation and Wikimedia Österreich was examined
• The agreement between the Wikimedia Österreich and the User Group was examined
• Action for O: Read through the WMF resolution on Resolution:Organizational best practices
• Agreed: Funding agreements are approved

2. QW project manager

• We have not yet recruited a project manager; we have an interim PM keeping things ticking over
• Note that WMAT will not be line-managing the PM; we need to agree how their line-management will be arranged.
• Agreed: GovCom will line-manage the PM in concert

3. Oversight of community channels and related events

• We’ve had a whistleblowing complaint and an enforcement issue with the Telegram channels.
• We should require that only UG-owned channels can use the UG branding
• If someone asks Wikimedia LGBT+ to speak to any LGBT+ issues anywhere in the Wikimedia ecosystem, then it is difficult.
  • we do not control all LGBT+ discussion in the wiki world
  • we do not have capacity to address all problems
  • we do control certain channels and have some powers but our limits are not articulated
  • this is a long-standing issue which we have wanted to address with regular community meetings or at a queering Wikipedia conference
  • the governance committee of Wikimedia LGBT+ is the ultimate authority for Wiki LGBT+ and receives all issues if no one else takes them
  • there is a safety committee with Wikimedia LGBT+ but this group hardly has capacity to manage issues, especially if they are further removed from wiki LGBT+ the organization and further into the general world of online LGBT+ discussion
  • default practice for managing complaints: users should speak in public in any of the public channels to resolve issues publicly. We do not have dedicated staff, resources, capacity, etc to manage much in private. There is no possibility, for example, of someone getting an assigned staff person to be their case worker.
• Action for A: Update the list of enumerated Telegram channels on Meta at Wikimedia LGBT+/Communications
• Action for O: Agree with relevant users to codify how the @QueeringW channels on Twitter and Instagram are used

4. User group risk log

• There’s a requirement that we have a risk log, in relation to the QW grant
• Action for O: Write up the (initial) risk log and share a draft
• Action for O: Walk people through how to read and use a risk log

5. AOB/next meeting

• QW2022 revised dates
  • Conference team proposing pushing external parts of the conference out to February 2023 and, thus, the agreement end-date to 31 March.
  • Chen is OoO in mid-July and for most of August, so has asked if we want to meet imminently or in end-July
  • Agreed: Approve date change
  • Action for A: Arrange a meeting with Chen before EOD 12 July, so we can at least give her a heads-up on these dates.
• Need another member on GovCom
  • O suggests we should look for people who are not (cis and white and L1 English), given that everyone on GovCom currently is
  • There are probably other people on the periphery of the UG atm who are also involved in other affiliates.
  • Action for O: Approach suggested member to see if they're interested
• Jul’ Maroh case
  • Has been a recent edit war on fr:Jul' Maroh — Jul' Maroh (Q13371954), the non-binary creator of Blue Is the Warmest Color (Q3228373).
  • frwiki does not allow the use of non-binary pronouns and requires deadnaming trans and nonbinary subjects in their biographies.
  • This is causing Maroh stress, frustration and dysphoria; they posted to Instagram about it
  • This is likely to be in the press soon; we agreed lines to take in any press communications
• Date of next meeting: 20 August 2022, at 1600 UTC
• Vote for Wikimedia Foundation board of trustees
  • Election upcoming: WMF elections 2022: Candidates
  • we should encourage Wikimedia LGBT+ members to vote
• Conversation with the Trustees: Fri 14 July at 1800 UTC: 2022-07-14 Conversation with Trustees