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Wikimedia LGBT+/Governance/2024-04-13

< Wikimedia LGBT+ | Governance

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.

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

Attendees

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  • OwenBlacker (Talk; he/him)
  • Lane Rasberry (non-voting attendee)
  • Freddy Veloz
  • Ayokanmi Oyeyemi
  • (unnamed extra participants)

Agenda

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Notes

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  1. Grant consolidation
    1. we had a misunderstanding about how to organize grant requests to the Wikimedia Foundation
    2. Wikimedia LGBT+ applied for general support to do administration for the group, but did not include programming
    3. Separate from that we also applied for a rapid grant to do programming for Wiki Loves Pride
    4. feedback from WMF - these should not be separate, and instead we should merge the Wiki Loves Pride grant into the general support grant
    5. Proposal: we do this merge; since this is grant changes, it needs board approval
    6. Also, we should increase the pride request to include the fiscal sponsor cost
    7. question: I thought we can add other grants into the general grant? Conferences are still possible to add, right? ##Also, we are a particularly at-risk group for safety or legal threats. We can always apply for additional funding for that also, correct? and we are discouraged from pre-emptively asking for that now, right?
    8. Answer: correct on both points
    9. comment: the general support fund is very flexible as the use of money can change from original proposals. We need to take care of entryism to the board, conflict of interest, and other undue influences on our governance.
    10. vote: Merge the Wiki Loves Pride rapid grant proposal into the General Support Fund proposal?
    11. result - resolved in favor
    12. Our grant ask total is under our calculated need for various reasons
    13. vote: Add contigency and fiscal sponsor fees to sum budget to cover our organization's set rate for these. (the fiscal sponsor maths Owen can explain in more detail, plus the WLP budget to restore comms, nodes and merchandise that we removed at the last minute before submission)
    14. result - resolved in favor
  2. Conflict of Interest policy
    1. https://docs.google.com/document/d/1pfavrQF_gvFkQeAjseitgQNzmQ-k-JNucIVg2XvyLI4/edit
    2. Lane: This is a near copy of the University of Virginia conflict of interest policy
    3. Owen: We wanted something more adapted to cases that we know our small group will address. Finances on this level are
    4. Comment: This will do for now, but will need expansion for other non-financial details (such as "my ex boyfriend would be interested in doing this piece of work for the user group, so I will abstain from decisions about it")
    5. Freddy: Wiki groups have encountered cases where other Wikimedians - friends, colleagues, known other wiki editors from other wiki groups - are suitable for paid roles or hire. The conflict here is managed by identifying it and deciding on it in a case-by-case basis. This has satisfied people till now.
    6. Comment: Wikimedians want to see transparency and due process. We want to be able to say that we know about any relationships, we discussed them, and that decisions were made in thoughtful group deliberative processes.
    7. Question: Will the policy be public? Will conflict discussion be public?
    8. Answer: The policy will be. Conflict discussions need not be.
    9. vote: Is everyone comfortable adopting the current draft we have, which is vague, on the presumption that we will develop it in the future?
    10. result - resolved in favor
  3. Budget review and processes for spending approval
    1. We have some unspent budget originally assigned to other things. We have some contractors who would do needed activities, but currently need the board to approve spending. We do not have a line manager who can by themselves delegate tasks for pay.
    2. Comment: The board is not supposed to be overly involved in operations. Ideally there would be an executive making day to day decisions.
    3. Question: When should we get a decision for the general support fund?
    4. Answer: There is supposed to be a decision in April, and if funded, Wiki LGBT could receive additional funding in May. We anticipate that the WMF will have delays in making the decision.
    5. Proposal: A budget line that has been approved by the board can be spent as decided by whomover the board designates as a line manager. For slightly bigger amounts, get agreement from two board members, and for amounts which change the direction of a grant, get full board approval as normal. In this case the amount is not so much, and it seems obvious that the best use for it is for one person to hire contractors.
    6. Question: What is the maximum amount that a single person would oversee?
    7. Answer: Not sure, but comfortable with this amount
    8. resolved - one delegated person can use the money to hire staff, and report the expenses back to the board
  4. Movement Charter
    1. Jeffrey, Lane, Owen are going to the Wikimedia Summit
    2. Owen will attend group for Topic Group 6: Affiliates and Hubs: Collaborations and capacity building
    3. Advice: training has not historically always been useful for small affiliates as well as larger. If the opportunity arises, we should remember to steer for flexibility in the ways affiliates are qualified.
    4. Comment: There are LGBT+ people in all the other affiliates. LGBT+ has a special role in advocating for policy.
    5. Question: Can we, should we, organize an LGBT+ meetup at the summit?
    6. Answer: Thursday evening before we start? Yes Lane to organize
  5. UG meetings facilitation
    1. facilitate means:
    2. run them on the day
    3. advertise them properly
    4. under what circumstances can we commit to run these?
    5. Dorothy has managed some of these as a contractor, but also has done some as a volunteer
    6. the general support fund includes a budget to facilitate some of these
    7. We should pre-plan dates for the next 3 months of meetings and advertise those dates
  6. Human rights and safe-space conversations
    1. French Wikipedia situation
    2. the last Wikimedia Foundation board community affairs call included discussion of the transphobic behavior in French Wikipedia
    3. attendees of the call were all supportive of the Wikimedia LGBT+ position
    4. Having a clear problem, and a clear request, presented quickly and concisely, helps to get a quick and decisive board response
    5. Maggie Dennis of Trust and Safety at the WMF said on that call that WMF staff were taking reports from concerned Wikimedians
    6. comment: Some of the debate has been whether the behavior is illegal or hate speech. It is definitely harassment that should be stopped. There is arguing about how bad the behavior is.
    7. comment: Some WMF staff have requested more reports and recommendations from Wiki LGBT+.
    8. comment: Wiki LGBT+ has standing to declare what misconduct is in this space. Here we have transphobic behavior which is apparent to us, but is unfamiliar to people who are unfamiliar with LGBT issues.
    9. Action for Summit attendees: In particular this would be useful for Summit attendees to mention to other affiliates and Board members in the context of "respectful treatment" while in Berlin next week.
    10. Human Rights workflow
    11. Owen shared this document from Wikimedia Foundation Human Rights team
    12. (private, we have no permission to share it)
    13. the Human Rights team shared this as a first draft of responses that we can have
    14. We are seeing and discussing this for the first time this meeting
    15. Question to us: does this plan broadly look like what Wikimedia LGBT+ thinks is a useful response and collaboration from the Wikimedia Foundation Human Rights Team?
    16. Action for Owen: Ask the Human Rights team if we can share this a little more widely, in order to get wider consultation and feedback.
    17. Comment: This would be part of a risk log, which the board needs to put together; we should view this in that context
  7. Nominations for Universal Code of Conduct committee due Monday
    1. Universal_Code_of_Conduct/Coordinating_Committee/Election/2024
    2. Universal_Code_of_Conduct/Coordinating_Committee/Election/2024/Candidates
    3. People who are active in our organizational governance are obligated with other things.
    4. We have told people to apply.
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