@fosdem
These stats don't even mention other intersectionalities based on race, gender identity, sexual orientation, ableness, etc, which are equally impactful.
The #FOSS ecosystem might be missing out on incredibly talented contributors. Which were exactly the type of people we wanted to attract to #FOSDEM27.
And btw, I do have to note that I consider 99% of the white men that I usually work with to be well intended allies. I'm sure that many of #FOSDEM 's visitors would have proudly stuck our cool 'not a tech bro' stickers to their laptops. ❤️
@Gina FWIW, your proposed track would have been a strong motivator for me to try to make space for fosdem in my already busy travel schedule. -- a white man.
Oct 21, 2026, 12:54 PM@Gina Thank you for this very informational (alhtough quite disappointing) thread!
I do hope the devroom rejection won't stop you from from submitting a proposal for the main track (and maybe even a stand?), I'm quite optimistic about such a talk being accepted AND able to fill in Jansson :)
@Gina I kinda want that sticker (and I think a couple of my colleagues, too). Lemme know when you stick 'em in a shop, somewhere!
Do these well intended allies stand up for you in the moment you're asked to get coffee or whatever, or do they just express how sorry they are for what you deal with, after the fact?
Anywho, it is what it is. Lets see if we can organize something adjacent to #FOSDEM or with the Community devroom.
Oct 21, 2026, 7:15 PM@Gina I wanna see if I can find some time to set up a landing page for a “FOSDEM Pledge” that speakers and rooms can take to make up for the miss. A speaker could devote a few minutes of their talk to a DEI topic, a room could dedicate a talk slot or two to a DEI talk, etc.
A bonus here would be that folks who need to hear about this have no chance but to do so :)
Oct 21, 2026, 7:26 PM